Retirement Planning
401(k), IRA, Roth accounts, pension plans, withdrawal strategies, required minimum distributions, and how much you need to retire.
Latest in Retirement Planning
A transfer-on-death deed passes your home to heirs without going through probate
When a homeowner dies with the deed in their name alone, the house typically has to pass through probate, the court-supervised process of settling an...
A shared nursing-home room now runs $72,000 to $127,750 a year, and Medicaid steps in only after savings fall below $2,000
A shared room in a nursing home carries one of the steepest recurring bills in American retirement, and the range is wide enough to reshape...
Assisted living averages $6,200 a month, and Medicaid covers only the care
At a national median of $6,200 a month, a year in an assisted-living community now runs about $74,400, a bill that lands squarely in the...
Workers earning over $150,000 lose their 401(k) catch-up entirely in 2026 if their plan offers no Roth option
A new provision that took effect on January 1, 2026, can quietly erase a valuable tax break for higher-paid workers without any change on their...
Workers 50 and older can add an extra $8,000 to a 401(k) in 2026
Savers who turn 50 this year gain access to a larger shelter than any younger colleague can use: an extra $8,000 they can steer into...
Rolling a 401(k) straight into an IRA avoids the automatic 20% tax withholding
A worker who wants to move a 401(k) into an IRA can lose a fifth of the balance to the IRS the moment the check...
Donating an appreciated stock through a qualified charitable distribution lets retirees over 70½ satisfy a required withdrawal tax-free
Retirees who no longer need every dollar of a required withdrawal often watch it inflate their tax bill anyway, dragging more of their Social Security...
An inherited Roth IRA is tax-free to heirs, but they must empty it within 10 years
Inheriting a Roth IRA can feel like receiving a gift with no strings attached, and on the tax side that is largely true. Money withdrawn...
Naming a beneficiary on a bank or brokerage account lets it skip probate
One of the simplest and cheapest estate-planning moves is often overlooked: adding a beneficiary to a bank or brokerage account. A single form can let...
Rolling a pension lump sum straight into an IRA avoids an immediate tax bill
When a pension plan pays out a lump sum, the way the money moves can matter as much as how large the check is. Sent...
A lump-sum pension buyout trades a guaranteed lifetime check for a one-time payment you must invest
Employers with traditional pension plans increasingly ask longtime workers and retirees to make a one-time choice: keep a guaranteed monthly check for life, or take...
Roth IRA withdrawals don’t count toward the income that makes Social Security taxable
Many retirees are surprised to learn that a portion of their Social Security benefits can be taxed, and that the tax often depends less on...
Workers 50 and older can add $7,500 more to a 401(k) in 2026
Retirement savers who have reached their 50s gained a little more room to shelter income in 2026. The standard limit on elective deferrals to a...
The Saver’s Credit hands lower-income workers up to $1,000, or $2,000 per couple, for retirement contributions
The federal tax code quietly rewards lower- and moderate-income households for setting money aside for retirement, yet the break remains one of the least-claimed lines...
A Medicaid-compliant annuity turns a couple’s excess savings into income and speeds a spouse’s coverage
When one spouse needs nursing-home care and the other remains at home, the couple’s savings can become the obstacle to getting help paying for it....
If a 401(k) plan offers it, a newer law lets workers pull up to $1,000 for an emergency without the usual penalty
Workers can use a newer federal exception to take as much as $1,000 from a 401(k) or another eligible retirement plan for an immediate personal...
The PBGC insures a failed company pension up to $93,477 a year for a 65-year-old retiree
A private company’s failure does not necessarily erase a traditional pension. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation takes over covered single-employer plans and pays benefits within...
Your first required IRA withdrawal can wait until April 1, but doubling up two withdrawals can spike your taxes
The first required minimum distribution carries an unusual choice: an IRA owner can take it during the year it belongs to or delay it until...
A bigger single-life pension can leave a surviving spouse with nothing
A pension election can trade a larger monthly check today for the disappearance of that income at the retiree’s death. The single-life option pays only...
Converting traditional IRA money in the low-income early-retirement years trims the tax on future required withdrawals
The years after a paycheck ends but before Social Security and required minimum distributions fully begin can create a temporary valley in taxable income. Moving...