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
Nineteen major hospital systems, including Mayo Clinic, have left Medicare Advantage this year
Nineteen major hospital systems across the United States, including Mayo Clinic, have walked away from Medicare Advantage contracts this year, forcing millions of seniors to...
Social Security’s retirement trust fund is now projected to run short in late 2032 and then pay just 78% of benefits
Roughly 73 million Americans who depend on Social Security retirement checks face an automatic benefit cut of about one-fifth unless Congress acts within the next...
Go 63 days without drug coverage after 65 and Medicare adds a lifelong Part D penalty
Anyone turning 65 who lets prescription drug coverage lapse for 63 consecutive days or longer faces a permanent surcharge on Medicare Part D premiums. The...
Medicare’s negotiated price for Ozempic and Wegovy falls to $274 a month in 2027, down from about $959
Medicare beneficiaries who rely on Ozempic or Wegovy will pay sharply less starting in 2027, after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services locked in...
Earn above $23,400 before full retirement age and Social Security withholds $1 for every $2 over
Americans who claim Social Security before full retirement age and keep working face a hard dollar threshold in 2025: every dollar of earnings above $23,400...
A new bill would change how Social Security’s yearly raise is set to better track seniors’ costs
Millions of Social Security recipients received a 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment for 2026, but a bipartisan group of lawmakers argues that annual raise still shortchanges...
Save medical receipts and reimburse yourself from a health savings account years later, tax-free
Taxpayers who pay for dental work, prescriptions, or surgery out of pocket can pull that money back from a health savings account years after the...
Only a handful of states still tax Social Security benefits, and the list keeps shrinking
Retirees in a shrinking number of states still owe state income tax on their Social Security benefits, but a wave of legislative action in 2024...
After 65 you can pay Medicare premiums from a health savings account tax-free
Americans turning 65 gain access to a tax break that can offset thousands of dollars in annual Medicare costs: the ability to withdraw money from...
A working teen can open a custodial Roth IRA and start decades of tax-free growth
A teenager with a summer job or part-time paycheck can open a custodial Roth IRA and begin building tax-free wealth decades before most adults think...
Remarry after age 60 and you can still collect a late spouse’s survivor benefit
Widows and widowers who find love again after 60 face a common fear: that walking down the aisle will cost them their Social Security survivor...
Deduct up to $3,000 in investment losses against regular income each year, and carry the rest forward
Investors who sold stocks, funds, or other assets at a loss during the 2025 tax year can subtract up to $3,000 of those net capital...
Medical bills above 7.5% of your income can be deducted if you itemize
Taxpayers who spent heavily on medical care during 2025 face a narrow but real opening to cut their federal tax bill, provided their unreimbursed costs...
Keep working in your 60s and Social Security may recalculate your check to a higher amount
Workers in their 60s who keep earning a paycheck after they start collecting Social Security stand to receive a larger monthly benefit, thanks to an...
Who gets their Medicare drug deductible and premiums erased? Seniors under $23,940 in income who claim Extra Help
Seniors living on less than $23,940 a year can eliminate their Medicare Part D drug deductible and monthly premium entirely through a federal program called...
About 32 million forgotten 401(k) accounts hold $2.1 trillion, and a free federal registry helps workers find their own
Workers who changed jobs and left retirement savings behind now account for approximately 31.9 million forgotten 401(k) accounts holding a combined $2.1 trillion in assets,...
Medicare Part A is free once you or a spouse paid Medicare taxes for ten years
Americans turning 65 face a sharp financial divide at the Medicare enrollment window: those who accumulated 40 quarters of coverage through FICA payroll taxes, whether...
Move out of your Medicare Advantage plan’s area and get a window to switch
Medicare Advantage enrollees who relocate outside their plan’s service area face a tight deadline to find replacement coverage or risk gaps in benefits. Federal rules...
Combined, Social Security’s funds run dry in 2034, when checks would fall to 83% without a fix
Roughly 70 million Americans who depend on Social Security checks each month now have one fewer year before the program can no longer pay full...
Qualified dividends and long-term gains are taxed below your paycheck rate, sometimes at zero
Millions of Americans who hold dividend-paying stocks or sell investments at a profit face a federal tax rate on that income that can drop as...