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
Medicare’s QMB program bars doctors from billing enrolled seniors, yet many are charged anyway
Millions of the lowest-income Medicare recipients are shielded by federal law from paying deductibles, coinsurance, and copays, yet doctors and hospitals keep sending them bills....
Insulins like Lantus and NovoLog join Ozempic on Medicare’s 2027 lower-price list
Medicare beneficiaries who depend on insulin or the blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic are set to pay less starting in 2027, after the Centers for Medicare...
An outdated beneficiary form on your 401(k) or IRA overrides your will and can send your savings to an ex
A single form filed years ago with a 401(k) or IRA provider can override a will, a divorce decree, and the wishes of a current...
Rolling a 401(k) straight into an IRA avoids the automatic 20% tax withholding a check in your name triggers
Anyone leaving a job with a 401(k) balance faces a decision that can cost them thousands of dollars before they even open a new account....
Scammers can reroute your Social Security deposit online, and locking your account stops them in about two minutes
Someone who steals enough personal data to log into a my Social Security account can change the bank routing number on file and divert an...
$250,000 of home-sale profit is tax-free, and $500,000 for married couples who lived there two of the last five years
Homeowners who sell their primary residence can shield up to $250,000 of profit from federal income tax, or $500,000 for married couples filing jointly, provided...
The 401(k) limit is projected to reach $25,000 in 2027, with an extra $11,750 allowed at ages 60 to 63
Workers saving through employer-sponsored retirement plans are set to gain significantly more tax-advantaged contribution room over the next two years. The IRS confirmed the 2026...
Your heirs inherit your home and investments at their value on the day you die, erasing tax on a lifetime of gains
Federal tax law hands heirs a financial advantage that most taxpayers never receive during their own lifetimes. When a property owner dies, the cost basis...
Roth 401(k) accounts no longer force required withdrawals during your lifetime
Workers and retirees with Roth 401(k) or Roth 403(b) accounts no longer face mandatory withdrawals during their lifetimes. Congress eliminated the required minimum distribution rule...
Original Medicare now requires prior approval for some procedures in a handful of states
Medicare beneficiaries in six states now face a new requirement before receiving certain medical services: getting approval from the federal government first. The Centers for...
April, not December 31, is the real deadline to fund an IRA for the 2026 tax year
Taxpayers who stop thinking about IRA contributions after December 31 are leaving months of extra time on the table. Federal law ties the contribution deadline...
Workers can now deduct up to $25,000 in tips and $12,500 in overtime on their federal taxes
Millions of tipped and hourly workers filing their 2025 federal returns can now subtract up to $25,000 in qualified tips and $12,500 in overtime pay...
Medicare’s negotiated 2027 price cuts Ozempic to $274 a month, a 71% drop for the seniors who use it
Medicare Part D enrollees who rely on Ozempic to manage type 2 diabetes will pay $274 for a 30-day supply starting January 1, 2027, a...
Oregon is returning more than $1.4 billion to taxpayers through a record kicker credit this year
Oregon taxpayers who filed a 2024 state return are set to receive a combined $1.41 billion back from the state through the largest personal income...
Social Security disability checks convert automatically to retirement checks at full retirement age, with no drop in the amount
Americans collecting Social Security disability payments face a common fear: that reaching full retirement age will trigger paperwork, delays, or a smaller check. Federal regulations...
Senate Democrats reintroduced a plan to add $200 a month to Social Security and SSI checks, but Congress still must act
Tens of millions of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income recipients could see an extra $200 added to their monthly checks under a bill Senate...
A Senate proposal from Rick Scott would make it easier for older Americans to keep working without a Social Security penalty
Older Americans who collect Social Security while still earning a paycheck face a withholding rule that can cut into their monthly benefits. Sen. Rick Scott,...
Starting in 2026 you can deduct up to $1,000 in charity, or $2,000 per couple, without itemizing
Roughly nine out of ten U.S. tax filers take the standard deduction, which for years meant their charitable gifts produced zero tax benefit. That changes...
A Roth IRA’s five-year rule can tax earnings withdrawn too soon
Savers who pull earnings from a Roth IRA before satisfying the five-year holding requirement can owe ordinary income tax on those gains, even if they...
The number of 401(k) millionaires climbed to a record 665,000, even as the typical saver holds far less
A record 665,000 savers now hold at least $1 million in their 401(k) accounts, a milestone that masks a sharper reality: the typical American with...