Retirement & Taxes
Long-term financial planning, retirement accounts, government benefits, tax law, and IRS rules. Covers the intersection of policy and personal finance that affects how people save, invest, and plan ahead.
Latest in Retirement & Taxes
Ohio State’s cancer hospital leaves Humana’s Medicare Advantage network October 1.
Medicare Advantage enrollees who rely on Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center for cancer treatment face a hard deadline. Effective October 1, 2026, multiple Humana...
Older Americans not yet on Medicare are paying thousands more for health coverage this year after enhanced ACA subsidies expired.
Adults between 55 and 64 who buy their own health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace are absorbing sharp premium increases in 2026 after...
The IRS has stopped mailing paper refund checks and will hold your refund until you give direct-deposit details
Millions of taxpayers expecting paper refund checks from the IRS after Sept. 30, 2025, will instead receive a notice telling them to provide direct-deposit details...
A multi-year fixed annuity locks in a set payout, but surrender charges tie up the cash early
Buyers of multi-year guaranteed annuities, or MYGAs, accept a fixed payout rate in exchange for locking up their money, often for six to ten years...
Presbyterian Health Plan is dropping most Medicare Advantage coverage for 2027, forcing 30,000 members to switch
Roughly 30,000 Medicare Advantage members in New Mexico face the loss of their Presbyterian Health Plan coverage heading into 2027, after the regional insurer announced...
Delaying Social Security until 70 usually pays off only if you live past about age 80
Americans born in 1960 or later who wait until age 70 to collect Social Security retirement benefits receive 124% of their primary insurance amount, compared...
Roth IRA withdrawals never count toward the income that lifts Medicare premiums
Retirees drawing from Roth IRAs can spend down those accounts without triggering higher Medicare Part B and Part D premiums, a tax advantage that grows...
Retirement savers hit a record in early 2026, putting 14.4% of their pay into 401(k)s
American workers are saving for retirement at the highest rate on record, directing an average of 14.4% of their pay into 401(k) plans in early...
Choosing the larger single-life pension payout can leave a surviving spouse with nothing
A married retiree who picks the larger single-life pension check each month locks in a benefit that stops the day they die, leaving a surviving...
The federal estate-tax exemption rose to about $15 million per person in 2026
Wealthy families just received a permanent tax break that will keep more of their estates out of the IRS’s reach. Starting with deaths in 2026,...
More than a dozen states tax no retirement income, including Social Security and pensions
Retirees deciding where to live face a direct financial question: will the state tax their Social Security checks, pension payments, or other retirement distributions? More...
A widow can take a survivor benefit first and let her own Social Security grow until 70
Surviving spouses who earned their own Social Security benefits face a high-stakes timing decision that can shift their lifetime income by tens of thousands of...
Long-term-care bills turn tax-deductible once medical costs top 7.5% of income
Families paying for nursing home stays, home health aides, or long-term care insurance premiums can claim those costs as itemized tax deductions, but only after...
Miss your Medicare Part B window and a 10%-a-year penalty can cling to your premium for life
Americans who delay signing up for Medicare Part B face a financial penalty that compounds with every year of inaction and never goes away. Federal...
Claim Social Security, regret it within a year, and you can withdraw the application, repay, and restart for more
Retirees who claimed Social Security benefits too early and now wish they had waited face a narrow federal escape hatch: withdraw the application within 12...
Cooling inflation just trimmed the 2027 Social Security raise estimate, with one analyst cutting hers from 4.7% to 3.7%
Millions of Social Security recipients expecting a sizable raise in January 2027 may need to adjust their expectations. Analyst Mary Johnson recently cut her 2027...
Free AARP and IRS tax help is open to retirees, with no income limit
Retirees 60 and older can walk into thousands of tax preparation sites across the country and get their federal returns filed for free, with no...
A veteran’s surviving spouse can draw tax-free survivor pay of about $1,700 a month
A surviving spouse whose veteran died from a service-connected cause can receive a monthly payment of $1,699.36, tax-free, under the Department of Veterans Affairs Dependency...
Homeowners who add grab bars, ramps or a walk-in tub can deduct part of the cost as medical
Homeowners who install grab bars, entrance ramps, or walk-in tubs for medical reasons can claim part of those costs as a federal tax deduction, but...
Workers 60 to 63 can put an extra $11,250 into a 401(k) this year
Americans turning 60, 61, 62, or 63 this year gained access to a significantly larger 401(k) catch-up contribution limit, allowing them to set aside an...