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A Roth IRA’s five-year rule can tax earnings withdrawn too soon
Savers who pull earnings from a Roth IRA before satisfying the five-year holding requirement can owe ordinary income tax on those gains, even if they...
The number of 401(k) millionaires climbed to a record 665,000, even as the typical saver holds far less
A record 665,000 savers now hold at least $1 million in their 401(k) accounts, a milestone that masks a sharper reality: the typical American with...
Workers are socking away a record share of their pay in 401(k)s even as balances dip
American workers pushed their 401(k) contribution rates to record levels as a share of compensation, even as account balances slipped under pressure from volatile equity...
A ladder of Treasury bills can pay retirees over 4% with interest exempt from state taxes
Retirees hunting for safe, short-term income above 4 percent are turning to a strategy that stacks Treasury bills across staggered maturities, creating a rolling stream...
More employers now offer 401(k) annuities that turn retirement savings into a monthly paycheck for life
Workers saving for retirement through 401(k) plans are getting a new tool to answer a basic question: how much monthly income will my balance actually...
A qualified longevity annuity can shelter up to $200,000 from required withdrawals and pay you later
Retirees and pre-retirees holding large IRAs can now shield up to $200,000 from required minimum distributions by purchasing a qualified longevity annuity contract, or QLAC....
Workers raided their 401(k)s for emergencies at a record 6% rate last year as everyday bills outran their pay
American workers pulled money from their 401(k) retirement accounts to cover emergencies at a record rate of 6% last year, a sign that rising everyday...
You can now pull $1,000 from a 401(k) or IRA once a year for an emergency without the 10% early-withdrawal penalty
Americans who keep retirement savings in a 401(k) or IRA can now withdraw up to $1,000 once per calendar year for an emergency without paying...
Top CDs still pay up to 4.50% before the Fed’s July 29 meeting, a chance for retirees to lock in yield
Retirees hunting for predictable income have a shrinking window to act. Top certificates of deposit still advertise yields near 4.50 percent, but the Federal Reserve’s...
A transfer-on-death deed passes your home to heirs without probate
Homeowners in Texas, California, and Delaware can now record a single document that sends their home directly to named beneficiaries at death, skipping the probate...
Savers can now withdraw up to $2,500 a year from a 401(k) for long-term-care premiums without the early penalty
Workers saving for retirement through a 401(k) can now pull up to $2,500 a year to cover long-term care insurance premiums without triggering the 10%...
Rolling a 401(k) straight into an IRA avoids the automatic 20% tax withholding that a check in your name triggers
Workers who leave a job with a 401(k) and request a distribution check in their own name lose 20% of the balance to federal tax...
A revocable living trust passes your home to heirs and skips probate
Heirs who inherit a home through a standard will in California can face months of court proceedings before they gain clear title to the property....
After 65, health-savings-account money covers any expense penalty-free, and medical costs stay tax-free
Workers with health savings accounts who reach age 65 gain a quiet but powerful tax break: the 20 percent penalty that normally applies to non-medical...
$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...