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
Selling a losing investment can offset gains and cut up to $3,000 off your income
A stock or fund sold at a loss stings, but the federal tax code turns part of that setback into a deduction. When investment losses...
A widow or widower can still file a joint tax return for the year their spouse dies, often at a lower rate
Losing a spouse rarely arrives with a tax plan attached, yet the filing status chosen in that first year can quietly change how much a...
Medicare’s 2027 Part B premium is now projected near $209.50, below last year’s forecast
Medicare’s standard Part B premium is projected to reach $209.50 a month in 2027, according to the most recent federal trustees report, an increase of...
Married couples 65 and older can now deduct up to $12,000 under the new senior tax break
Married couples in which both spouses are 65 or older can now deduct as much as $12,000 from their taxable income under a temporary tax...
A new federal retirement account, TrumpIRA.gov, will offer eligible savers a government match worth up to $1,000 a year
A federal retirement platform called TrumpIRA.gov is scheduled to launch on January 1, 2027, alongside a government match that can deposit up to $1,000 a...
Next year’s Social Security raise is now tracking near 3.6%, and many retirees say it still won’t cover their bills
Social Security’s 2027 cost-of-living adjustment is now tracking near 3.6%, according to the latest monthly estimate from The Senior Citizens League, released August 12 after...
A QLAC lets you move up to about $210,000 out of your IRA and delay required withdrawals
A qualified longevity annuity contract can carve as much as $210,000 out of an individual retirement account, shrink the balance used to calculate required withdrawals,...
Forgiven debt usually counts as taxable income unless you qualify for an exclusion
A canceled credit-card balance, a settled medical bill, or a forgiven personal loan can feel like a clean break, yet the Internal Revenue Service often...
A will alone won’t skip probate, and a beneficiary form can override what your will says
Many people assume a will is the final word on where their money goes, but two common misconceptions can send an estate off course. A...
A living trust keeps your home and savings out of probate and out of public court records
A will directs where property goes, but it does so through a public court process that can take months and skim thousands of dollars off...
In 2026, home equity above $752,000 can cost a senior their Medicaid nursing-home coverage
A house that a family has always treated as a protected asset can become the very thing that blocks Medicaid coverage for a nursing home....
A retiree in the 0% capital-gains bracket can sell winning investments and owe no federal tax
A retiree whose taxable income stays low enough can sell appreciated stocks, funds, or other investments and owe nothing in federal capital-gains tax. The zero-percent...
You can give a family member about $19,000 a year without touching your lifetime gift-tax exemption
The federal gift-tax rules let a person hand over as much as $19,000 to another individual in a single year without filing a gift-tax return...
The new $6,000 senior tax deduction disappears after 2028, giving retirees a short window to use it
A temporary tax break worth up to $6,000 per person is now on the books for Americans who are 65 or older, and the window...
A Roth IRA never forces withdrawals during your lifetime, unlike a traditional IRA
One rule separates a Roth IRA from nearly every other retirement account: the original owner is never forced to take money out. A traditional IRA,...
Leave your job at 55 or later and you can tap that 401(k) without the 10% early-withdrawal penalty
A quiet provision in the tax code, often called the Rule of 55, lets a worker who leaves an employer in the year they turn...
401(k) hardship withdrawals have hit a record, up 252% since the pandemic as bills eat savings
The share of workers pulling emergency cash out of their 401(k) plans has climbed to a record, a jump that has more than tripled the...
Medicare’s general enrollment window runs January 1 to March 31 for anyone who missed signing up
Every year from January 1 to March 31, Medicare runs a general enrollment period that acts as a safety net for people who missed their...
Some states let you switch Medigap plans around your birthday without any health questions
A little-known state protection called the birthday rule gives Medicare Supplement policyholders in a handful of states a yearly chance to change plans without answering...
Withdraw your Social Security application within 12 months and you can restart at a higher future benefit
Filing for Social Security feels permanent, but the government builds in a narrow escape hatch for anyone who moves too soon. A retiree who claims...