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
Starting in 2027 the government will deposit up to $1,000 a year into low- and middle-income retirement accounts
Millions of lower- and middle-income workers who save for retirement will soon receive direct federal deposits into their accounts, replacing a tax credit that most...
A record 6% of workers raided their 401(k) for emergency cash last year
A record share of American workers pulled emergency cash from their 401(k) accounts last year, exposing a widening gap between the rules designed to protect...
A working teen can open a custodial Roth IRA and start decades of tax-free growth
A teenager with a summer job or part-time paycheck can open a custodial Roth IRA and begin building tax-free wealth decades before most adults think...
About 32 million forgotten 401(k) accounts hold $2.1 trillion, and a free federal registry helps workers find their own
Workers who changed jobs and left retirement savings behind now account for approximately 31.9 million forgotten 401(k) accounts holding a combined $2.1 trillion in assets,...
Inherit a Roth IRA and you must empty it in ten years, but the withdrawals are tax-free
Anyone who inherited a Roth IRA from someone who died after December 31, 2019, now faces a firm withdrawal clock: the entire account balance must...
A spouse with little or no income can still fund an IRA on the other’s earnings
Married couples with one working spouse can each contribute up to $7,500 to an IRA for the 2026 tax year, even when one partner earns...
Borrow up to $50,000 or half your 401(k) and repay the interest to yourself
Workers facing a cash crunch have a borrowing option sitting inside their own retirement accounts, and the terms are unlike any bank loan on the...
Company stock inside a 401(k) can leave at the lower capital-gains rate, a break called net unrealized appreciation
Workers who retire with a large block of employer shares locked inside a 401(k) face a tax decision that can shift tens of thousands of...
Americans hold more in IRAs than 401(k)s, yet most never add a dollar after rolling over
Millions of workers who leave a job each year face a quiet but consequential choice: what to do with the retirement savings they built through...
$35,000 stuck in a child’s 529 college account can now roll into their Roth IRA tax-free
Families sitting on leftover 529 college savings now have a direct path to convert up to $35,000 of that money into a child’s Roth IRA...
$11,250 in extra ‘super catch-up’ 401(k) savings is open to workers ages 60 to 63
Workers between the ages of 60 and 63 now have access to $11,250 in additional 401(k) catch-up contributions for 2026, a figure confirmed by the...
$941 billion will roll out of 401(k)s into IRAs this year, and much of it sits uninvested
Millions of Americans changing jobs or retiring this year will move retirement savings out of employer-sponsored 401(k) plans and into individual retirement accounts. The scale...
A side-gig earner can open a solo 401(k) and shelter up to $70,000 a year from taxes
Freelancers, consultants, and gig workers with even modest self-employment income can open a solo 401(k) and defer a substantial share of their earnings before taxes....
You can pull $2,500 a year from a 401(k) for long-term-care premiums, penalty-free
Workers under age 59 and a half now have a new way to pay for long-term care insurance without triggering the 10% early-withdrawal penalty on...
$2,000 is what low- and middle-income savers can claim just for funding a retirement account
Workers earning low or moderate incomes can cut their federal tax bill by as much as $1,000 per person, simply by putting money into a...
Roth 401(k) accounts no longer force required withdrawals during your lifetime
Workers with Roth 401(k) accounts gained a permanent tax advantage starting in 2024: they no longer face mandatory annual withdrawals while they are alive. Section...
$8,600 is the new 2026 IRA contribution limit for savers 50 and older
Savers aged 50 and older can now set aside up to $8,600 in an individual retirement account starting in 2026, a combined total that reflects...
$24,500 is the new 2026 401(k) contribution limit, up from $23,500
The IRS has raised the standard 401(k) employee contribution limit for 2026 to $24,500, up from $23,500 in 2025. That extra $1,000 of tax-advantaged space...
$44,115 is the new median 401(k) balance, up 27% in a year
American workers with 401(k) accounts saw their median balance climb to $44,115, a 27% jump from one year earlier, according to widely cited industry data....
Workers and employers now save a record 14.4% of pay into 401(k)s
American workers and their employers are now directing a combined 14.4 percent of pay into 401(k) accounts, a figure that represents the highest combined savings...