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
$11,250 is the extra a 401(k) saver aged 60 to 63 can stash this year, more than any other age group
Workers turning 60 to 63 in 2026 can contribute an extra $11,250 to their 401(k) plans this year, a catch-up amount that exceeds what any...
Heirs who inherit an IRA now have just 10 years to empty it, and many owe yearly withdrawals along the way
Millions of Americans who inherited retirement accounts after 2019 now face a compressed deadline to withdraw every dollar, and the federal government is about to...
$1,000 a year is what the government will start depositing into low- and middle-income retirement accounts in 2027
Millions of low- and middle-income workers will soon have a new reason to check their retirement accounts after tax season. Starting in 2027, the federal...
Retirement savers who turn 73 must take a minimum withdrawal by December 31 or risk a 25% penalty
Americans who turned 73 this year face a hard deadline: withdraw the required minimum distribution from their retirement accounts by December 31 or owe the...
Homeowners 62 and older now hold a record $14.66 trillion in home equity they can tap in retirement
Americans aged 62 and older now sit on $14.66 trillion in housing wealth, the largest equity pool ever recorded for this age group. The figure,...
The beneficiary on your 401(k) or IRA overrides your will, so an outdated form can pay an ex
A divorced worker who never updated a retirement account beneficiary form can accidentally leave hundreds of thousands of dollars to an ex-spouse, even when a...
The typical worker’s 401(k) holds just $44,115, far below the $351,242 average that headlines tout
Millions of American workers saving for retirement through employer-sponsored 401(k) plans hold a median balance of just $44,115, a figure that sits far below the...
A Roth IRA never forces withdrawals in the owner’s lifetime, unlike a traditional IRA
Retirees with traditional IRAs face a mandatory withdrawal schedule starting at age 73, a rule that chips away at tax-deferred growth whether the account holder...
Skipping your employer’s 401(k) match leaves free money on the table every paycheck
Workers who contribute less than the amount needed to capture their employer’s full 401(k) match are giving up employer contributions that average 1.3% of annual...
A nonworking spouse can still fund a full IRA on the working partner’s earned income
Married couples where one partner stays home or earns no income can still double their household retirement savings, thanks to a federal tax provision that...
Setting up a qualified charitable distribution lets retirees give from an IRA and skip the tax
Retirees who are at least 70 and a half years old can transfer up to $105,000 a year directly from an IRA to a qualifying...
$2.1 trillion sits in 32 million forgotten 401(k)s, and a free federal database can reunite you with yours
Roughly one in four dollars held in 401(k) plans across the United States belongs to someone who may not know it is there. An estimated...
Low- and middle-income savers can claim a tax credit worth up to $1,000 for retirement contributions
Workers earning low or moderate incomes can cut their federal tax bill by up to $1,000 simply by contributing to a retirement account, yet many...
Waiting until April for your first required withdrawal can force two taxable RMDs in one year
Retirees who turn 73 and skip their first required minimum distribution before year-end face a tax trap: two full RMDs stacked into a single calendar...
Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth in a low-income year locks in today’s tax rate
Taxpayers who experience a sharp drop in earnings this year face a time-sensitive decision: whether to move pretax retirement savings into a Roth IRA while...
Up to $35,000 in leftover 529 college savings can roll into the beneficiary’s Roth IRA instead of being taxed
Families who saved for college through a 529 plan but ended up with leftover funds now have a tax-free exit that did not exist before...
A revocable living trust passes your home and accounts to heirs without the delay and cost of probate
Families who lose a loved one and then discover the home or bank accounts must pass through probate court face months of delays and mandatory...
$11,250 is the 401(k) catch-up limit for workers 60 to 63 in 2026, above the standard $8,000
Workers turning 60 to 63 in 2026 can defer up to $11,250 in catch-up contributions to their 401(k) plans, per the IRS. That figure sits...
Required withdrawals from retirement accounts now start at 73, giving savers an extra year of tax-deferred growth
Retirement savers born in 1951 or later gained an extra year before the IRS requires them to start pulling money out of tax-deferred accounts. Under...
Lower-income workers can claim up to $1,000 back, $2,000 for couples, just for funding a retirement account
Millions of lower-income workers across the United States are leaving money on the table by not claiming a tax credit designed specifically to reward them...