The financial news that actually matters
Covers retirement planning, Social Security benefits, pension systems, and long-term financial security. It helps readers understand how to prepare financially for retirement.
Taxpayers who have not yet filed their 2025 individual returns still have a narrow window to cut their federal tax bill by contributing to a traditional IRA before the April 15, 2026 filing deadline. The annual contribution cap sits at $7,000 for most filers, and every dollar that qualifies as deductible shrinks adjusted gross income…
Workers who lose employer-sponsored health insurance face an immediate choice: pay the full cost of the plan they already know or gamble on finding something cheaper before a gap in coverage begins. Federal law gives them up to 18 months to stay on that same plan through COBRA continuation coverage, but the price can reach…
Every Roth IRA owner in the United States already has access to a withdrawal option that most traditional retirement accounts do not offer: the ability to pull out original contributions at any age, for any reason, without owing federal income tax or an early-distribution penalty. Federal law spells out a specific ordering sequence that treats…
Lower-income workers who put money into a retirement account can claim a federal tax credit worth up to $1,000 per person, or $2,000 for married couples filing jointly. The Retirement Savings Contributions Credit, commonly called the Saver’s Credit, applies a percentage of 50%, 20%, or 10% to qualified contributions capped at $2,000 per eligible individual….
Workers who skip or shortchange their 401(k) contributions hand back employer matching dollars they have already earned the right to collect. A common formula matches 50 percent of deferrals up to 5 percent of salary, which means an employee making $60,000 a year must set aside at least $3,000 to capture the full $1,500 match….
Federal prosecutors charged 455 people, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, in a nationwide crackdown on schemes that allegedly billed Medicare, Medicaid, and other health programs for more than $6.5 billion in false claims. The 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown stretched across dozens of federal districts and targeted a range of fraud…
Millions of workers with access to a 401(k) plan never contribute enough to collect the full employer match, effectively turning down additional compensation they have already earned the right to claim. A matching contribution formula provides additional employer contributions only to employees who make elective deferrals, which means a worker who defers nothing receives nothing…
Millions of workers earning modest wages can cut their federal tax bill by saving even a small amount for retirement, thanks to a provision that rewards contributions with a dollar-for-dollar credit rather than a simple deduction. The Retirement Savings Contributions Credit, commonly called the Saver’s Credit, is worth up to $1,000 for an individual filer…
Workers who skip their employer’s 401(k) match forfeit what amounts to an instant, guaranteed return on every dollar they contribute. Under federal tax rules, employers can match employee contributions dollar-for-dollar or at a set percentage, but that money only flows to participants who actually defer part of their paycheck. The catch: even after earning a…
Workers who borrow from their 401(k) plans and then leave their jobs can find themselves owing income tax and a 10% penalty on money they never meant to withdraw. Federal tax rules treat the unpaid loan balance as a distribution once employment ends, converting a temporary borrowing arrangement into a taxable event. The problem is…