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 new federal retirement account, TrumpIRA.gov, will offer eligible savers a government match worth up to $1,000 a year
A federal retirement platform called TrumpIRA.gov is scheduled to launch on January 1, 2027, alongside a government match that can deposit up to $1,000 a...
A QLAC lets you move up to about $210,000 out of your IRA and delay required withdrawals
A qualified longevity annuity contract can carve as much as $210,000 out of an individual retirement account, shrink the balance used to calculate required withdrawals,...
A will alone won’t skip probate, and a beneficiary form can override what your will says
Many people assume a will is the final word on where their money goes, but two common misconceptions can send an estate off course. A...
A living trust keeps your home and savings out of probate and out of public court records
A will directs where property goes, but it does so through a public court process that can take months and skim thousands of dollars off...
A Roth IRA never forces withdrawals during your lifetime, unlike a traditional IRA
One rule separates a Roth IRA from nearly every other retirement account: the original owner is never forced to take money out. A traditional IRA,...
Leave your job at 55 or later and you can tap that 401(k) without the 10% early-withdrawal penalty
A quiet provision in the tax code, often called the Rule of 55, lets a worker who leaves an employer in the year they turn...
401(k) hardship withdrawals have hit a record, up 252% since the pandemic as bills eat savings
The share of workers pulling emergency cash out of their 401(k) plans has climbed to a record, a jump that has more than tripled the...
A payable-on-death beneficiary lets a bank account skip probate and reach heirs directly
Naming a payable-on-death beneficiary on a bank account is one of the simplest estate-planning moves available, and one of the most misunderstood. With a short...
Starting in 2027 the government will deposit up to $1,000 a year into low- and middle-income retirement accounts
Beginning in 2027, the federal government will start depositing money directly into the retirement accounts of lower- and middle-income savers, matching what they set aside...
Each Roth conversion starts its own five-year clock before you can withdraw it penalty-free
Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth can trim a future tax bill and hand a saver decades of tax-free growth, but it quietly starts...
Required retirement withdrawals now start at 73, and missing one triggers a steep penalty
The age at which the government forces savers to start emptying their tax-deferred retirement accounts has climbed to 73, giving many workers an extra window...
Heirs must empty an inherited IRA within 10 years, and many now owe a withdrawal each year
Inheriting a parent’s individual retirement account once came with a comfortable pace: an heir could stretch withdrawals across a lifetime and let the balance grow...
Roth 401(k) accounts no longer force required withdrawals during your lifetime
Two retirement accounts that were supposed to serve the same purpose spent years being treated differently, until a change that took effect in 2024 finally...
Trump signed an order clearing the way for 401(k) plans to hold private equity and crypto
A presidential order signed in August 2025 set in motion the biggest potential change to workplace retirement plans in a generation, directing federal regulators to...
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...