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
$24,500 is the 401(k) contribution limit in 2026, with an extra $8,000 for workers 50 and older
Workers saving for retirement through a 401(k) or similar employer plan can set aside up to $24,500 in 2026, a $1,000 increase over the prior...
Roth 401(k) accounts no longer force withdrawals during your lifetime
Retirees and workers with designated Roth accounts inside 401(k) and 403(b) plans no longer face mandatory annual withdrawals during their lifetimes. The change, rooted in...
A shared nursing-home room now averages $119,340 a year, and Medicaid only helps after your savings run down
A year in a shared nursing-home room now costs an average of $119,340, a price tag that has climbed well past what most retirement savings...
A free federal database holds unclaimed pensions for about 80,000 workers, some worth up to $7,789.77 a month
A federal agency is sitting on retirement money that roughly 80,000 people have never picked up, and there is no cost to check whether any...
The average 401(k) balance fell 4% to $141,000 as more workers raided their accounts, Fidelity says
Retirement savers saw their account balances shrink at the start of 2026, and a growing number of workers pulled money out early to cover financial...
An outdated beneficiary form on your 401(k) can send your savings to an ex instead of your family
Many people spend real money on a will, confident that it settles who will inherit their assets. What they often miss is that one of...
Workers are saving a record 14.4% of their pay in 401(k)s even as balances slipped
American workers put a larger slice of their paychecks into workplace retirement plans in early 2026 than at any point on record, a sign that...
You can put $4,500 into a health savings account in 2027, or $9,000 for a family plan
The government has set new ceilings on how much money can flow into a health savings account in 2027, nudging the limits a little higher...
Workers over 50 who earn more than $145,000 must now make 401(k) catch-up contributions in a Roth
A retirement-savings rule that has quietly reshaped how many older, higher-paid workers fund their 401(k) accounts is now in force. Starting this year, employees over...
Roth 401(k) accounts no longer force withdrawals during your lifetime, letting the money keep growing tax-free
For years, the Roth 401(k) carried an odd handicap that its cousin, the Roth individual retirement account, never did: it forced retirees to start pulling...
Heirs inherit a home or stocks at their value on the day you die, erasing tax on a lifetime of gains
One of the most valuable features of the tax code is also one of the least understood by the families it benefits. When someone inherits...
The saver’s credit can cut your tax bill up to $1,000 for money you put toward retirement
Low- and moderate-income workers can shave up to $1,000 off their federal tax bill for each person filing, simply by putting money into a retirement...
Workers aged 60 to 63 can put an extra $11,250 into a 401(k) this year
Workers who will be between ages 60 and 63 in 2026 are getting a rare late-career boost to retirement savings. Under Internal Revenue Code rules,...
A Roth conversion has no income limit, letting high earners shift IRA money into a Roth
High earners who want to move traditional IRA balances into a Roth IRA face no income ceiling on conversions, a rule that has been in...
The PBGC now guarantees a failed pension up to $93,477 a year for a 65-year-old
Retirees whose single-employer pension plans fail in 2026 can now receive up to $93,477 a year from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the highest cap...
Leave your job at 55 or later and you can tap that 401(k) with no early-withdrawal penalty
Workers who separate from an employer at age 55 or older can pull money from that employer’s 401(k) without paying the 10 percent early-withdrawal penalty...
Send up to $111,000 from an IRA straight to charity tax-free, and it counts as your required withdrawal
Retirees who are at least 70 and a half years old can now transfer up to $111,000 directly from an individual retirement account to a...
529 plans can now pay for trade school and roll up to $35,000 into a Roth IRA
Families with leftover 529 savings now have two ways to put that money to work beyond a traditional four-year college. The accounts can cover tuition...
401(k) contributions rise to $24,500 in 2026, with IRA limits up to $7,500
Workers saving for retirement through a 401(k) can set aside up to $24,500 starting in 2026, a $1,000 jump from the $23,500 cap that applied...
The average 401(k) balance slipped 4% to $141,000 even as workers saved at a record rate
Workers across the United States saved more of their paychecks into retirement accounts than at any point on record, yet the average 401(k) balance still...