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 multi-year fixed annuity locks in a set payout, but surrender charges tie up the cash early
Buyers of multi-year guaranteed annuities, or MYGAs, accept a fixed payout rate in exchange for locking up their money, often for six to ten years...
Retirement savers hit a record in early 2026, putting 14.4% of their pay into 401(k)s
American workers are saving for retirement at the highest rate on record, directing an average of 14.4% of their pay into 401(k) plans in early...
Choosing the larger single-life pension payout can leave a surviving spouse with nothing
A married retiree who picks the larger single-life pension check each month locks in a benefit that stops the day they die, leaving a surviving...
Workers 60 to 63 can put an extra $11,250 into a 401(k) this year
Americans turning 60, 61, 62, or 63 this year gained access to a significantly larger 401(k) catch-up contribution limit, allowing them to set aside an...
After 70 and a half, you can route IRA money to charity tax-free and satisfy your required withdrawal
Retirees who have passed age 70 and a half hold a tool that can simultaneously satisfy their required IRA withdrawal and eliminate the tax bill...
A surviving spouse can roll an inherited IRA into their own and delay withdrawals, an option other heirs no longer get
Surviving spouses who inherit an IRA can roll it into their own account and follow their personal required minimum distribution schedule, a privilege that most...
Homeowners 62 and older are sitting on a record $14.92 trillion in home equity, and a reverse mortgage or credit line can tap it without a monthly payment
Americans aged 62 and older hold an estimated $14.92 trillion in housing wealth, a record sum built on years of rising home values and declining...
Required IRA withdrawals can come from just one account, not each plan
Retirees holding several traditional IRAs face a straightforward but often misunderstood federal rule: they must calculate a required minimum distribution for each account, yet they...
Each Roth conversion starts its own five-year clock before you can touch it penalty-free
Taxpayers who spread traditional IRA conversions across multiple tax years face a tracking burden that catches many off guard: each conversion starts its own separate...
After-tax 401(k) dollars can be converted into a Roth in a move called the mega-backdoor Roth, sheltering tens of thousands
Workers with access to a 401(k) that accepts after-tax contributions can convert tens of thousands of dollars into a Roth IRA each year, shielding future...
Converting part of a traditional IRA to a Roth in a low-income year, before benefits and required withdrawals begin, can cut a lifetime tax bill
Retirees and near-retirees who experience a year of unusually low earnings before claiming Social Security and before required minimum distributions kick in have a narrow...
Employers can now steer your 401(k) match into a Roth, where it grows tax-free but counts as income the year you get it
Workers whose employers match their 401(k) contributions now face a new tax decision they did not have to think about before. Under Section 604 of...
A little-known move called 72(t) lets you tap an IRA before 59½ without the 10% penalty if you take equal payments
Workers who leave a job before age 59½ face a steep cost if they need cash from an IRA: a 10% additional tax on top...
Roth IRAs force no lifetime withdrawals and pass to heirs tax-free
Federal tax law gives Roth IRA owners a rare advantage: they never have to withdraw a single dollar during their lifetimes, and when the account...
Still working at 73 can let you delay required withdrawals from your current employer’s 401(k) until you actually retire
Americans who keep working past 73 can, under federal tax law, postpone required minimum distributions from a current employer’s 401(k) until they actually stop working....
Leftover 529 college savings can now roll into the beneficiary’s Roth IRA
Families with unused 529 college savings now have a direct path to convert those funds into retirement wealth for the account beneficiary. Under a provision...
The Saver’s Credit hands lower-income workers up to $1,000 for retirement contributions
Lower-income workers who contribute to a 401(k) or IRA can reduce their federal tax bill by as much as $1,000 through the Saver’s Credit, a...
A nonworking spouse can still fund a spousal IRA from a partner’s income
Married couples where one partner earns all the household income can still double their annual IRA savings by funding a separate account for the nonworking...
Required withdrawals from a traditional IRA or 401(k) now begin at age 73, and missing one can trigger a penalty of up to 25%
Millions of Americans with traditional IRAs and 401(k) plans now face a hard withdrawal deadline once they turn 73, and the financial penalty for missing...
Higher earners barred from a Roth IRA can still use a backdoor conversion
Taxpayers earning above the Roth IRA income thresholds for 2026 still have a legal path to get money into a Roth account. The IRS has...