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
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...
Retiring before 65, COBRA can bridge your health coverage up to 18 months until Medicare
Americans who leave the workforce before turning 65 face a gap in health coverage that can last months or even years before Medicare kicks in....
A newly reintroduced Social Security 2100 Act would lift every retiree’s check and raise the minimum benefit, but Congress still must act
Tens of millions of Social Security recipients could see larger monthly checks and a higher floor on the program’s minimum benefit if Congress passes the...
Giving your house to the kids can trigger a five-year Medicaid penalty
Families who deed a home to their children to protect it from nursing-home costs can lose Medicaid long-term care coverage for up to five years....
You get one six-month window at 65 to buy any Medigap policy with no health questions
Americans turning 65 face a deadline that can shape the cost and availability of their health coverage for the rest of their lives. Federal law...
Delaying your first IRA withdrawal to April 1 can double up and spike your taxes
Retirees who turned 73 and chose to push their first required minimum distribution to the April 1 deadline now face two taxable withdrawals landing in...
After 70 and a half, you can route IRA money to charity tax-free and satisfy your required withdrawal
Retirees who have passed age 70 and a half hold a tool that can simultaneously satisfy their required IRA withdrawal and eliminate the tax bill...
Medicare’s fall open enrollment opens October 15, and more seniors than ever will find their Advantage plan dropped or overhauled for 2027
Seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans face a turbulent fall. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized new payment rules and risk-adjustment policies...
A missed required IRA withdrawal brings a 25% penalty, or 10% if fixed fast
Retirees who missed a required minimum distribution from an IRA or qualified retirement plan face a 25% excise tax on the shortfall amount. That penalty...
Waiting until 70 locks in Social Security’s biggest check, about $5,108 a month in 2026
High earners who delay Social Security retirement benefits to age 70 will collect the program’s largest possible monthly payment in 2026: $5,181, according to the...
Millions of retired teachers, firefighters and police officers still haven’t gotten their full Social Security back pay, and senators are pressing the agency to fix it
Retired public-sector workers across the country, including teachers, firefighters and police officers, are caught between a law that promised them higher Social Security checks and...
Medicare’s trustees peg the 2027 Part B premium at $209.50, but forecasters warn it could top $216 and eat into next year’s Social Security raise
Millions of retirees counting on a bigger Social Security check next year face a quieter threat from the other side of the ledger. The Boards...
A surviving spouse can roll an inherited IRA into their own and delay withdrawals, an option other heirs no longer get
Surviving spouses who inherit an IRA can roll it into their own account and follow their personal required minimum distribution schedule, a privilege that most...
Over-the-counter hearing aids now run $200 to $600 a pair versus $4,000 to $6,000 for prescription ones, and Original Medicare covers neither
Millions of older Americans with mild-to-moderate hearing loss now face a stark choice between over-the-counter hearing aids priced at $200 to $600 a pair and...
Taxpayers 65 and older can earn more before they must file a federal return
Retirees living on fixed incomes often file federal tax returns they are not legally required to submit. The reason: federal law grants taxpayers 65 and...
Social Security disability pays nothing for the first five months after you qualify
Workers who qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance face a mandatory five-month blackout before they receive a single dollar, a gap that strips income from...