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 is ending paper checks by the close of 2026, pushing recipients to direct deposit or a Direct Express card
For generations, a Social Security payment meant an envelope in the mailbox on a predictable day each month. That era is drawing to a close....
About 2.6 million people lost their Medicare Advantage plan for 2026, and more cuts are expected for 2027
The start of 2026 brought an unwelcome surprise to millions of older Americans who rely on private Medicare Advantage plans for their health coverage. As...
Medicare’s fall open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, the only window to change most plans
For most Medicare beneficiaries, the majority of the calendar offers no easy way to switch plans. Coverage rolls forward month after month, and the choices...
Retired teachers, police and firefighters are now getting up to $587 more a month after Congress repealed two Social Security penalties
For decades, millions of Americans who spent their careers teaching in classrooms, patrolling neighborhoods and answering fire calls found that their Social Security benefits were...
A new House bill would tie Social Security’s yearly raise to seniors’ own costs, pushing checks above the standard COLA, but it still must pass Congress
Each year, tens of millions of retirees watch for one number: the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, that determines how much their Social Security checks will...
Workers are saving a record 14.4% of their pay in 401(k)s even as balances slipped
American workers put a larger slice of their paychecks into workplace retirement plans in early 2026 than at any point on record, a sign that...
You can put $4,500 into a health savings account in 2027, or $9,000 for a family plan
The government has set new ceilings on how much money can flow into a health savings account in 2027, nudging the limits a little higher...
Workers over 50 who earn more than $145,000 must now make 401(k) catch-up contributions in a Roth
A retirement-savings rule that has quietly reshaped how many older, higher-paid workers fund their 401(k) accounts is now in force. Starting this year, employees over...
Roth 401(k) accounts no longer force withdrawals during your lifetime, letting the money keep growing tax-free
For years, the Roth 401(k) carried an odd handicap that its cousin, the Roth individual retirement account, never did: it forced retirees to start pulling...
Heirs inherit a home or stocks at their value on the day you die, erasing tax on a lifetime of gains
One of the most valuable features of the tax code is also one of the least understood by the families it benefits. When someone inherits...
Delaying Social Security past full retirement age adds about 8% a year until 70
Workers who have reached full retirement age and can afford to wait stand to collect roughly 8 percent more in Social Security benefits for each...
Seniors get an extra $2,050 standard deduction in 2026, on top of the new $6,000 bonus
Americans age 65 and older filing their 2026 tax returns can stack two separate deductions that together cut thousands of dollars from taxable income. The...
Medicare’s Extra Help can wipe out drug-plan premiums and deductibles for limited-income seniors
Millions of seniors on Medicare Part D spend hundreds of dollars each year on prescription drug premiums, deductibles, and copayments they may not actually owe....
Medicare’s negotiated 2027 prices cut 15 drugs, including Ozempic, by about 44%
Millions of Medicare Part D enrollees who depend on drugs like Ozempic, cancer treatments, and medications for chronic conditions will pay sharply less starting January...
UnitedHealth dropped Medicare Advantage in 109 counties, cutting about 180,000 members
Roughly 180,000 seniors and people with disabilities enrolled in UnitedHealth Medicare Advantage plans will need to find new coverage for 2026 after the insurer pulled...
The age to start required retirement withdrawals rises to 75 in 2033
Millions of Americans with traditional IRAs and workplace retirement plans will be able to leave their savings untouched two years longer than the current rule...
The saver’s credit can cut your tax bill up to $1,000 for money you put toward retirement
Low- and moderate-income workers can shave up to $1,000 off their federal tax bill for each person filing, simply by putting money into a retirement...
The 2027 Social Security raise is now pegged near 3.8%, about $79 more a month
Roughly 68 million Social Security recipients could see their monthly checks rise by about $79 starting in January 2027, based on early projections that peg...
This year’s average IRS refund rose to $3,275, up from $3,230
Tens of millions of American taxpayers received slightly larger refund checks this filing season, with the average refund climbing to $3,275 through April 17, 2026,...
Miss a required retirement withdrawal and the penalty is now 25%, or 10% if you fix it fast
Retirees who miss a required minimum distribution from a traditional IRA or workplace retirement plan now owe the IRS 25% of the amount they failed...