The financial news that actually matters
Retirees who must take required minimum distributions from IRAs and 401(k) plans face a choice that rarely gets enough attention: withdraw the full amount in one shot or spread it across monthly payments. The timing decision does not change how much must come out of the account each year, but it can meaningfully shift the…
Retirees who finished their working years with substantial nest eggs often describe their success in less glamorous terms than many younger investors expect. They do not usually point to one life-changing stock pick, a perfectly timed trade, or an uncanny ability to spot the next market darling before everyone else. What they talk about instead…
A bipartisan Senate proposal is taking aim at one of the quieter barriers in the U.S. retirement system: the rule that still lets many workplace plans keep younger employees on the sidelines until age 21. The measure, called the Helping Young Americans Save for Retirement Act, would require many employers that offer 401(k) plans to…
Retirees who packed up for Sun Belt states expecting lower costs and year-round sunshine are increasingly reversing course, and federal migration data helps explain why. A U.S. Census Bureau report on older Americans’ moving patterns, designated P23-218, tracked net migration gains and losses by state for people aged 65 and older, revealing that several popular…
A 67-year-old retiree spending $6,500 a month faces a simple but uncomfortable math problem: Social Security was never designed to cover that entire bill. Federal data on both sides of the equation (what retirees spend and what benefits actually pay) show a gap that ranges from manageable to severe depending on earnings history and claiming…
Older Americans who claim Social Security before reaching full retirement age got a little more room to keep working in 2026 without triggering benefit withholding. The annual earnings test limit for beneficiaries who remain below full retirement age for the entire year rose to $24,480, up from $23,400 in 2025. That change may not sound…
Workers 50 and older will be able to put more money into workplace retirement plans in 2026, with the IRS raising the standard catch-up contribution limit to $8,000. That is up from $7,500 in 2025 and comes alongside an increase in the regular employee deferral cap to $24,500. For older Americans trying to make up…
Medicare beneficiaries will pay $202.90 per month for Part B coverage in 2026, up from $185 in 2025. The increase, announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, raises the standard premium by $17.90 a month, or about $215 over the course of a year before any doctor visits, outpatient procedures, or lab work…
Americans who inherited an IRA in the last few years are entering a new phase of the rulebook. After several rounds of IRS transition relief, the agency is now enforcing the inherited IRA 10-year payout rules for distribution years beginning in 2025, which means beneficiaries who miss a required withdrawal can face a penalty that…
The age at which many Americans must begin taking required minimum distributions from retirement accounts is set to rise again under SECURE 2.0, moving to 75 in 2033 for savers who fall into the later birth cohorts covered by the law. The shift extends the window for tax-deferred growth and gives retirees more control over…