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
After a senior dies, Medicaid can bill the estate for nursing-home care it paid, though the family home is sometimes shielded
Families who inherit a parent’s home after years of Medicaid-funded nursing care can face a bill from the state that rivals the property’s value. Federal...
Required withdrawals from a traditional IRA or 401(k) now begin at age 73, and missing one can trigger a penalty of up to 25%
Millions of Americans with traditional IRAs and 401(k) plans now face a hard withdrawal deadline once they turn 73, and the financial penalty for missing...
Medicare’s fall enrollment window opens October 15, and ignoring your plan’s change notice can lock you into higher costs for 2027
Millions of people enrolled in Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans will face automatic cost and coverage changes on January 1, 2027, unless they...
Claim Social Security at 62 and the most it pays is about $2,969 a month; wait until 70 and the ceiling jumps to $5,181
Workers turning 62 in 2026 face a stark financial fork: claim Social Security retirement benefits now and collect a maximum of $2,969 a month, or...
Most denied Medicare Advantage claims are overturned on appeal, yet few seniors file
Three out of four Medicare Advantage denials that seniors actually challenged were reversed by the plans themselves, according to federal audit data, yet the vast...
Two nights in the hospital “under observation” instead of admitted can cost seniors thousands and block Medicare’s nursing-home coverage
Medicare beneficiaries who spend two or more nights in a hospital bed can still be classified as outpatient “observation” patients, a designation that strips them...
Social Security warns of fake benefit-statement emails that carry malware
Millions of Americans who rely on Social Security benefits are facing a new threat in their inboxes. The Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector...
A six-month window at 65 lets you buy any Medigap plan, no health screening
Americans turning 65 get exactly one shot at buying a Medicare supplement plan on their own terms. Federal law grants a six-month open enrollment window...
A lower-earning spouse can claim up to half the higher earner’s Social Security, even with little or no work record of their own
Millions of Americans who spent years out of the paid workforce or earned far less than a spouse stand to collect Social Security benefits equal...
A newly reintroduced Social Security 2100 Act would lift every retiree’s monthly check by 2% and set a higher minimum benefit, but Congress still has to pass it
Every Social Security retiree in the United States would see a 2% bump in monthly benefits under a bill that Rep. John B. Larson, a...
Divorced spouses married at least 10 years can claim up to half an ex’s Social Security, and it never lowers the ex’s own check
Millions of Americans who ended long marriages may be leaving money on the table. A divorced person whose marriage lasted at least 10 years can...
Higher earners barred from a Roth IRA can still use a backdoor conversion
Taxpayers earning above the Roth IRA income thresholds for 2026 still have a legal path to get money into a Roth account. The IRS has...
Social Security’s taxable wage cap is projected to reach $190,200 in 2027
Workers earning above $184,500 a year will face a higher Social Security payroll tax ceiling in 2027, with the taxable wage cap projected to climb...
Medicare’s free yearly wellness visit is a check-in, not a full physical
Millions of Medicare Part B beneficiaries qualify for a free annual wellness visit, but the benefit does not include a head-to-toe physical exam. The Centers...
Medicare’s old Part D donut hole is gone, so drug costs no longer spike partway through the year
Millions of Medicare Part D enrollees who once watched their prescription costs jump sharply partway through each year no longer face that mid-year spending cliff....
Working one more year can replace a zero in Social Security’s 35-year formula and raise your check
Workers who spent years out of the labor force or in low-paying jobs stand to gain the most from a single extra year on the...
Miss the eight-month window to take Medicare after job coverage ends and you pay a lifetime premium penalty
Workers leaving employer health plans face a tight eight-month deadline to enroll in Medicare Part B or risk paying higher premiums for life. Federal rules...
Starting in 2027 the government will deposit up to $1,000 a year into low- and middle-income savers’ retirement accounts
Millions of low- and middle-income workers who save for retirement will soon receive direct federal deposits of up to $1,000 a year into their retirement...
Claim Social Security after full retirement age and you can request up to six months of benefits as a lump sum
Workers who delay claiming Social Security past full retirement age can ask the agency to pay them up to six months of back benefits in...
Workers who earned over $145,000 must make their 401(k) catch-up contributions in after-tax Roth dollars starting in 2027
Higher-earning employees over age 50 who rely on pre-tax 401(k) catch-up contributions will lose that option beginning in 2027. Under final regulations issued by the...