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
A bipartisan Senate bill would force Congress to vote on Social Security’s finances before a 22% benefit cut lands in 2032, and AARP just came out against it
Eight senators from both parties introduced a bill this month that would strip Congress of its ability to ignore Social Security’s looming insolvency. The measure,...
Past full retirement age, Social Security stops docking your check for earnings
Americans who keep working past full retirement age no longer lose a portion of their Social Security check to the earnings test, a protection signed...
The IRS waives a first-time filing or payment penalty, but only if you ask
Thousands of taxpayers pay IRS penalties every year that they could have had wiped clean, simply because they never asked for relief. The agency’s First...
Municipal bond interest escapes federal tax, and often state tax too
Investors in every income bracket who hold state or local government bonds benefit from a tax break written directly into federal law, one that can...
A free my Social Security account blocks thieves from rerouting your deposit
Social Security recipients who have not locked down their payment details face a straightforward risk: a thief can reroute their monthly deposit to a different...
An adult disabled before 22 can draw Social Security on a parent’s record for life
Families with an adult son or daughter who has lived with a disability since childhood often do not realize that federal law entitles that person...
After-tax 401(k) dollars can be converted into a Roth in a move called the mega-backdoor Roth, sheltering tens of thousands
Workers with access to a 401(k) that accepts after-tax contributions can convert tens of thousands of dollars into a Roth IRA each year, shielding future...
Medicare covers a yearly depression screening and flu shots at no cost
Medicare Part B pays for a yearly depression screening and a seasonal flu shot with zero copayment, coinsurance, or deductible for beneficiaries whose providers accept...
Retirees whose 2025 income topped about $112,000 are projected to owe a Medicare surcharge in 2027, and the top tier pushes Part B past $743 a month
Retirees who earned more than roughly $112,000 in modified adjusted gross income during 2025 are on track to pay a Medicare Part B surcharge in...
The IRS lets you spread a big tax bill over months with an installment agreement, heading off a lien
Taxpayers facing a large IRS balance they cannot pay in full now have a clear, statute-backed path to break that bill into monthly chunks, and...
A spouse caring for your young or disabled child can draw a Social Security check without shrinking your own
Families with a stay-at-home parent caring for a young or disabled child can tap into a Social Security benefit that pays the caregiving spouse on...
Give appreciated stock to charity and skip the capital-gains tax entirely
Investors sitting on years of stock gains face a straightforward choice every tax season: sell the shares and hand a slice to the IRS, or...
Remarry and you usually lose any claim to an ex-spouse’s Social Security
Widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses who remarry before turning 60 generally forfeit their right to collect Social Security survivor benefits tied to a former...
$255 is Social Security’s one-time death benefit, frozen since 1954
When a worker who paid into Social Security dies, their surviving spouse or qualifying children can file for a one-time death benefit of $255. That...
The three months of inflation data that set Social Security’s 2027 raise just began, with the running estimate near 3.8%
About 67 million Social Security recipients are now watching a three-month inflation window that will determine their 2027 cost-of-living adjustment. The July 2026 Consumer Price...
Moffitt Cancer Center leaves Humana’s Medicare Advantage network this month, forcing its patients to switch plans or pay out of network
Cancer patients enrolled in Humana Medicare Advantage plans who receive treatment at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa face a forced choice this month: switch to...
A surviving spouse often lands in a higher tax bracket the year after a partner dies, a squeeze called the widow’s penalty
Surviving spouses across the United States face an abrupt tax increase the year after a partner dies, not because their income changes but because the...
A Special Enrollment Period lets you change Medicare plans after a move or losing job coverage, outside the fall window
Medicare beneficiaries who move or lose job-based coverage do not have to wait for the fall open enrollment window to change coverage. Federal rules create...
A Medicare Advantage plan’s doctor network can change every January, so last year’s physician may be out this year
Millions of Medicare Advantage enrollees face a recurring disruption each January: the doctor they saw all year may no longer be in their plan’s provider...
Converting part of a traditional IRA to a Roth in a low-income year, before benefits and required withdrawals begin, can cut a lifetime tax bill
Retirees and near-retirees who experience a year of unusually low earnings before claiming Social Security and before required minimum distributions kick in have a narrow...