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
Inherit a Roth IRA and you must empty it in ten years, but the withdrawals are tax-free
Anyone who inherited a Roth IRA from someone who died after December 31, 2019, now faces a firm withdrawal clock: the entire account balance must...
A spouse with little or no income can still fund an IRA on the other’s earnings
Married couples with one working spouse can each contribute up to $7,500 to an IRA for the 2026 tax year, even when one partner earns...
For six months after you enroll in Part B at 65, insurers must sell you any Medigap plan
New Medicare beneficiaries who turn 65 and sign up for Part B get exactly one shot at buying supplemental coverage on their own terms. For...
Some lawfully present immigrants lose Medicaid coverage on October 1 under the new federal law
Refugees, asylees, and other lawfully present immigrants who have not yet obtained lawful permanent resident status will lose federal Medicaid funding on October 1, 2026,...
Withdraw 4% from a $700,000 401(k) and up to 85% of your Social Security becomes taxable
Retirees who follow the widely cited 4 percent withdrawal rule on a $700,000 traditional 401(k) pull out $28,000 a year. That single distribution can push...
Borrow up to $50,000 or half your 401(k) and repay the interest to yourself
Workers facing a cash crunch have a borrowing option sitting inside their own retirement accounts, and the terms are unlike any bank loan on the...
Working parents can claim a tax credit on up to $6,000 of childcare costs
Millions of working parents who pay for daycare, after-school programs, or summer camps can offset part of those costs through the federal Child and Dependent...
You can give $19,000 to any number of people this year with no gift-tax form
Taxpayers can hand $19,000 to every person on their gift list in 2026 without triggering a single gift-tax filing, a per-recipient design that lets families...
The American Opportunity Credit cuts up to $2,500 in taxes for each of a student’s first four years
Families sending a student to college or vocational school can reduce their federal tax bill by up to $2,500 per eligible student each year, for...
Company stock inside a 401(k) can leave at the lower capital-gains rate, a break called net unrealized appreciation
Workers who retire with a large block of employer shares locked inside a 401(k) face a tax decision that can shift tens of thousands of...
Social Security disability checks convert to retirement checks at full retirement age
Millions of Americans receiving Social Security Disability Insurance will see their monthly payments end and restart as retirement benefits once they hit full retirement age,...
Centene is cutting roughly 40,000 seniors from its Medicare Advantage plans
Centene Corp. is pulling the plug on Medicare Advantage plans that cover roughly 40,000 seniors heading into 2026. The move forces affected beneficiaries, most of...
$700 is Medicare’s new Part D drug deductible for 2027, up from $615
Medicare enrollees choosing Part D drug coverage for 2027 will face a standard deductible of $700, an $85 jump from the $615 maximum in effect...
Delay Medicare Part B and your premium rises 10% for each year you waited, for life
Americans who skip Medicare Part B enrollment when they first qualify face a permanent financial penalty: a 10% premium surcharge for every full year they...
The $1,000 federal tax credit for a home EV charger ended June 30
Homeowners who installed a home EV charger after June 30, 2026, can no longer claim the federal tax credit that covered up to $1,000 of...
A rising Part B premium cannot push most retirees’ Social Security below last year’s, under a hold-harmless rule
Most of the roughly 70 million Americans who receive Social Security will see their monthly checks rise in January 2026, even though Medicare’s standard Part...
$2,000 is still the savings cap for SSI, a limit unchanged since 1989
Millions of Americans who rely on Supplemental Security Income face a savings ceiling that has not moved in nearly three decades. The individual resource limit...
Pay 100% of last year’s tax, or 110% if you earn more, and skip the IRS underpayment penalty
Self-employed workers, freelancers, and anyone whose income fluctuates year to year face a quiet but costly trap when estimated tax payments fall short. The IRS...
Medicare covers no routine dental, vision, or hearing, a gap that surprises many the year they retire
Americans turning 65 each year face an abrupt loss of dental, vision, and hearing benefits the moment they leave employer-sponsored insurance and enroll in Original...
The government is raising Medicare Advantage payments 2.48% for 2027, yet insurers keep cutting plans
Seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans are facing a paradox heading into 2027: the federal government will pay insurers more per beneficiary, yet the number...