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 money withheld for working before full retirement age isn’t lost — your check is recalculated upward once you reach it
Workers who collect Social Security before full retirement age and keep earning above the annual limit often watch their monthly checks shrink, dollar by dollar....
Seniors on Medicare and Medicaid can join a Dual Special Needs Plan for free
Millions of Americans who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid can enroll in a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan, known as a D-SNP, with zero...
Social Security now requires a second security step to log in online, and users who don’t set it up can be locked out of the account that guards their benefits
The Social Security Administration cut off its own username-and-password login system, and anyone who has not set up a second verification step through a third-party...
Bunching several years of donations into a donor-advised fund can push you over the standard deduction in one year
Millions of taxpayers who give a few thousand dollars to charity each year lost their ability to claim a federal deduction after the standard deduction...
VA disability pay is completely tax-free, on both federal and state returns
Veterans who receive VA disability compensation do not owe federal or state income tax on those payments. Two separate federal statutes shield the money, and...
Reinvested fund dividends raise your cost basis, cutting the tax when you sell
Investors who reinvest mutual fund and stock dividends instead of taking cash are quietly building a higher cost basis with every distribution, and that higher...
Medicare covers a screening colonoscopy free, but removing a polyp can trigger a bill
Medicare beneficiaries who schedule a screening colonoscopy expect to pay nothing out of pocket. That expectation is correct, but only up to a point. When...
Retirees can collect Social Security in most countries abroad
Americans who retire overseas face a sharp dividing line: in most countries, their Social Security checks keep arriving without interruption, but in a smaller set...
Medicare’s 2026 out-of-pocket drug costs cap at $2,000, and a new plan lets you spread that bill across the year
Medicare Part D enrollees facing high prescription drug bills now have two layers of financial protection for 2026: an annual out-of-pocket cap set at $2,100...
A dependent parent can claim up to 82.5% of a late child’s Social Security
A parent who depended financially on an adult child can, after that child’s death, collect monthly Social Security benefits equal to 82.5 percent of the...
A 3.8% surtax quietly hits investment income once your total tops $200,000, or $250,000 for a married couple
Households earning above $200,000 as single filers or $250,000 as married couples face a 3.8% surtax on their net investment income, a levy that has...
Front-load five years of gifts into a 529 at once, up to $95,000 per child, without owing gift tax
Parents and grandparents looking to accelerate college savings can deposit up to $95,000 per child into a 529 plan in a single year without triggering...
Some veterans will see two VA disability payments arrive in July because of the way the payment calendar falls this year
Some veterans receiving VA disability compensation will see two deposits hit their bank accounts in July 2026, not because of a policy change or bonus...
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...