Skip to main content

The Money Overview

Avatar photo
Author

Tyler Foster

Latest Articles by Tyler Foster

Tax Changes & Deadlines

A losing investment can trim up to $3,000 off your taxable income each year

Investors sitting on losing positions in stocks, bonds, or other capital assets can shave up to $3,000 off their taxable income each year by realizing...

Social Security & Medicare

Up to 85% of your Social Security benefits become taxable once your other income climbs past set limits

Retirees collecting Social Security face a tax hit that grows steeper each year, not because Congress raised rates but because the income thresholds that trigger...

Retirement Planning

An employer’s 401(k) match is free money, yet many workers contribute too little to collect all of it

Millions of American workers are passing up free retirement dollars each year by contributing too little to their 401(k) plans to collect the full employer...

Tax Changes & Deadlines

Many middle-income investors pay 0% federal tax on long-term capital gains

Investors with moderate incomes who sell stocks, mutual funds, or other assets held longer than a year can owe zero federal tax on the resulting...

Tax Changes & Deadlines

Higher earners 50 and up must now put their 401(k) catch-up contributions into a Roth

Workers over 50 who earned above a statutory wage threshold in the prior year can no longer treat their 401(k) catch-up contributions as pre-tax deferrals....

Government & Policy

A new federal tax credit now rewards donations to private-school scholarships in 27 states

Families weighing private-school options in more than half the country just gained a new financial tool. Twenty-seven states have opted into the Federal Scholarship Tax...

Social Security & Medicare

A hospital “observation” stay can leave a Medicare patient paying the full bill for nursing care afterward

A Medicare beneficiary can spend multiple nights in a hospital bed, receive round-the-clock care, and still be classified as an outpatient under observation status. That...

Social Security & Medicare

Original Medicare covers no routine dental, vision, or hearing care

Millions of Americans who rely on Original Medicare for their health coverage face a gap that catches many off guard: the program does not pay...

Loans & Lending

Parent PLUS borrowers have until June 30 to consolidate and keep access to income-driven repayment

Parents who borrowed federal PLUS loans to help pay for a child’s college education face a hard deadline: they must consolidate those loans into a...

Social Security & Medicare

Medicare does not pay for most long-term nursing-home care, which now runs well over $100,000 a year

Families across the United States face a stark financial gap when a loved one needs long-term nursing-home care. Medicare, the federal health insurance program for...

Loans & Lending

Defaulted student-loan borrowers could see 15% of their paychecks garnished again as collections restart

Millions of borrowers who fell behind on federal student loans face the return of a collection tool that can strip up to 15% from every...

Credit & Debt

Keeping your credit-card balances under 30% of your limit helps lift your credit score

Consumers carrying credit-card balances above 30 percent of their available limits face a direct drag on their credit scores, and that penalty now carries higher...

Retirement & Taxes

After age 70½ you can send money straight from an IRA to charity, tax-free

Retirees who want to give to charity while keeping their tax bill low have a direct route available once they turn 70½: transferring money from...

Retirement Planning

The beneficiary form on your 401(k) or IRA overrides whatever your will says

On the same day the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Kennedy v. Plan Administrator for DuPont Savings and Investment Plan, the Court confirmed...

IRS & Enforcement

The IRS will charge 7% interest on unpaid taxes starting July 1, up from 6%

Taxpayers who owe the IRS money after June 30 will face a steeper cost for waiting. The agency set the interest rate on unpaid taxes...

Tax Changes & Deadlines

Selling your home can be completely tax-free on up to $250,000 of profit, or $500,000 for a married couple

Homeowners who sell their primary residence and pocket a profit of $250,000 or less owe zero federal tax on that gain, and married couples filing...

1 126 127 128 129 130 177
Plain-English help keeping more of your money in retirement. Get the free newsletter.

Free from Retirement Shield. Unsubscribe anytime. We never ask for money.