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 529 college-savings plan earns a state tax break in most states for any child you name
Families saving for college through a 529 plan can name any child as beneficiary and still claim a state income tax deduction in a majority...
A spouse can claim up to half of the higher earner’s Social Security even with little work history
Millions of Americans who spent years out of the paid workforce, whether raising children, managing a household, or caring for family members, stand to collect...
Target-date funds automatically move your savings from stocks to bonds as you near retirement
Millions of Americans saving for retirement through 401(k) plans hold target-date funds that automatically adjust their mix of stocks, bonds, and cash over time. The...
Selling a losing investment offsets gains plus $3,000 of income at tax time
Investors who sold stocks or funds at a loss this year can use those losses to cancel out capital gains dollar for dollar and then...
Donating appreciated stock instead of cash skips the capital-gains tax entirely
Investors sitting on years of stock-market gains face a straightforward choice at year-end: sell shares and write a check to charity, or transfer those shares...
Lower-income retirees pay 0% federal tax on long-term investment gains
Retirees living on modest incomes can sell stocks, mutual funds, or other long-term investments and owe zero federal tax on the profits. That zero-rate window...
Filing an appeal of your home’s assessed value can lower your annual property-tax bill
Homeowners across the country who receive a higher-than-expected property assessment notice face a direct choice: accept the figure and pay the resulting tax bill, or...
Starting this year, you can pull up to $2,500 from a 401(k) to pay long-term-care insurance premiums without the usual early-withdrawal penalty
Workers younger than 59 and a half now have a new way to cover long-term care insurance without draining their retirement savings or paying a...
Social Security is clawing back overpayments by withholding up to half a monthly check
Millions of Social Security recipients who owe money to the federal government now face the loss of half their monthly benefit check. The Social Security...
About 82% of seniors who could lose part of their Social Security to defaulted student loans qualify for a hardship exemption, but fewer than 1 in 10 apply
Roughly four out of five older Americans whose Social Security checks are reduced to repay defaulted student loans meet the criteria for a hardship exemption,...
Money you put into a Roth IRA can be withdrawn anytime, tax- and penalty-free
Anyone who has contributed to a Roth IRA holds a financial advantage that many account holders still do not fully grasp: the money they put...
A widow can claim a survivor benefit first, then switch to her own larger check at 70
Widows who qualify for both a Social Security survivor benefit and their own retirement benefit face a choice that can shift their total lifetime income...
An unpaid 401(k) loan turns into a taxable withdrawal, plus a 10% penalty if you’re under 59½
Workers who borrow from their 401(k) plans and fail to repay on schedule face an immediate tax hit: the entire unpaid balance is reclassified as...
Checking your Social Security earnings record for errors can raise your check for life
Every worker who pays into Social Security is building a benefit that hinges on one thing: the accuracy of the earnings record the agency keeps...
Drugmakers agreed to negotiate Medicare prices on 15 more medicines, including the first ever under Part B
Medicare’s drug price negotiation program has expanded again, with federal officials announcing agreements on 15 additional medicines and, for the first time, a treatment covered...
The IRS funds free tax help for filers over 60 through VITA and TCE
Millions of Americans over 60 face a quiet problem every spring: tax rules that grow more complex each year, paired with preparation costs that can...
Medicare Advantage members get a January window to switch plans or return to original Medicare
Millions of people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans have a narrow three-month period, running January 1 through March 31, to switch to a different Medicare...
The first 10 drugs with Medicare-negotiated prices took effect this year, and the 9 million seniors who take them could see out-of-pocket costs fall by more than half
Nine million people enrolled in Medicare entered 2026 paying less for some of the most widely prescribed drugs in the United States. Negotiated Maximum Fair...
One in five workers who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit never claim it, leaving up to about $8,000 unclaimed
About one in five workers eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit never file for it, forfeiting a benefit that can reach $8,046 for families...
Skipping your employer’s 401(k) match leaves free money on the table, often thousands of dollars a year
Workers who skip their employer’s 401(k) match forfeit one of the most direct paths to building retirement savings, often leaving thousands of dollars unclaimed each...