Social Security Payout Choices Can Be Confusing
Social Security may make up only a small part of your expected retirement income, but it can be a crucial part, perhaps covering a significant portion of your basic expenses. Figuring out what you’ll actually receive, however, can be complicated, and you’ll have to choose from among many variables that could make a big difference in the amount of monthly income for you and your spouse. Understanding Social Security’s complex rul..
Planning Ahead Doesn't End In Retirement
After working for many decades, buying a home, raising a family, sending children to college, and paying for a wedding or two, retirement probably seems like a just reward. Yet now is no time to sit on your nest egg. Even if you've been retired for several years, you need to keep planning for the future, which could extend beyond your 80s. According to a recent estimate, the average life expectancy for a U.S. citizen was close to 78 y..
Conversion Hype Around Roth IRAs Sure To Be Intense
Since the Roth IRA was established in 1997, individuals and couples with more than $100,000 of modified adjusted gross income have been out of luck. Because they couldn’t squeeze under that ceiling for converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, they’ve been deprived of the Roth’s tax-free income, protection from required minimum distributions, and hefty estate tax benefits. But the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act..
You Should Find A New Home For An Orphan 401(k)
If you’ve “abandoned” a 401(k) account from a past employer, of course you can still get those funds. But if you continue to ignore the account once your mandatory distributions begin at age 70½, you could lose much of it to IRS penalties. Instead, make the most of this orphan 401(k) plan.
Consider consolidating all of your former employer accounts into a single IRA. A tax-free transfer to a traditional IRA will make your..
What Should You Spend First During Retirement?
Retirement day is a financial rite of passage, a transition from accumulating wealth to spending it. The leading edge of the massive baby boom generation is reaching age 59½. That’s the age at which you may begin taking money from a traditional retirement account without incurring the dreaded 10% early withdrawal penalty. But distribution planning is complex, and just because you can take the money doesn’t mean you necessarily ..
Avoiding Mistakes On IRA Rollovers
When you change jobs, you can make a tax-free rollover of your 401(k) to an IRA. Often, that’s a good idea. IRAs generally offer broader investment choices than you get in a 401(k). Moreover, if you switch jobs several times during your career, your retirement savings will be easier to manage if you consolidate the money in one place.
Yet while a rollover often makes sense, rules governing such transfers are complicated and..