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
Social Security’s 2027 raise now looks like 3.8%, about $74 more a month for the average retiree
Retired workers collecting Social Security stand to receive roughly $74 more per month starting in January 2027, based on early cost-of-living adjustment projections tracking at...
Skipping your employer’s 401(k) match leaves free money on the table every paycheck
Workers who contribute less than the amount needed to capture their employer’s full 401(k) match are giving up employer contributions that average 1.3% of annual...
A nonworking spouse can still fund a full IRA on the working partner’s earned income
Married couples where one partner stays home or earns no income can still double their household retirement savings, thanks to a federal tax provision that...
Setting up a qualified charitable distribution lets retirees give from an IRA and skip the tax
Retirees who are at least 70 and a half years old can transfer up to $105,000 a year directly from an IRA to a qualifying...
Medicare’s out-of-pocket drug cap rises to $2,400 in 2027, and then you pay nothing more
Medicare beneficiaries who spend heavily on prescription drugs will hit a hard annual ceiling of $2,400 in out-of-pocket costs starting in 2027, after which their...
Retirees under the income limit can sell investments at a 0% federal capital-gains rate
Retirees with modest taxable income can sell long-term investments and pay zero federal capital gains tax, a benefit written directly into the Internal Revenue Code....
Seniors 65 and older can stack deductions up to $24,150 for 2026 with the new $6,000 bonus
Older Americans filing their 2026 tax returns stand to cut their taxable income by as much as $24,150 if they are single and 65 or...
$2.1 trillion sits in 32 million forgotten 401(k)s, and a free federal database can reunite you with yours
Roughly one in four dollars held in 401(k) plans across the United States belongs to someone who may not know it is there. An estimated...
ECU Health hospitals leave UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage network this week, risking big bills
Thousands of Medicare Advantage enrollees in eastern North Carolina face the prospect of sharply higher out-of-pocket costs as ECU Health hospitals exit UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage...
Low- and middle-income savers can claim a tax credit worth up to $1,000 for retirement contributions
Workers earning low or moderate incomes can cut their federal tax bill by up to $1,000 simply by contributing to a retirement account, yet many...
Waiting until April for your first required withdrawal can force two taxable RMDs in one year
Retirees who turn 73 and skip their first required minimum distribution before year-end face a tax trap: two full RMDs stacked into a single calendar...
Social Security’s retirement fund is now projected to pay just 78% of benefits after late 2032
Roughly 70 million Americans who depend on Social Security retirement checks face a sharper deadline than previously estimated. The Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund...
Medicare’s negotiated price cuts semaglutide to about $274 a month starting in 2027
Medicare beneficiaries who rely on semaglutide for diabetes or weight management are set to pay sharply less starting January 1, 2027, when negotiated maximum fair...
Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth in a low-income year locks in today’s tax rate
Taxpayers who experience a sharp drop in earnings this year face a time-sensitive decision: whether to move pretax retirement savings into a Roth IRA while...
Medicare’s insulin stays capped at $35 a month per covered product in 2027
Medicare beneficiaries who depend on insulin will keep paying no more than $35 for a one-month supply of each covered insulin product in 2027, under...
Up to $35,000 in leftover 529 college savings can roll into the beneficiary’s Roth IRA instead of being taxed
Families who saved for college through a 529 plan but ended up with leftover funds now have a tax-free exit that did not exist before...
Medicare covers a yearly wellness visit at no cost, but it isn’t a full physical
Millions of Medicare beneficiaries schedule what they believe is an annual physical, only to discover that the visit covered at no cost is something far...
Federal law shields two months of Social Security deposits from most creditors
Millions of Americans who depend on Social Security checks to cover rent, groceries, and medical bills have a federal shield that stops most private creditors...
Higher-income retirees pay a Medicare surcharge set by a tax return from two years back, and it can more than triple the premium
Retirees who earned above certain income thresholds in 2024 will pay a Medicare surcharge in 2026 that can push their monthly Part B bill to...
Original Medicare covers no routine dental, vision or hearing care
Millions of Americans enrolled in Original Medicare face the full cost of dental cleanings, eyeglasses, and hearing aids out of their own pockets. Federal law...