While Social Security can be an important source of income after you leave the workforce for good, it isn’t without its flaws. Being prepared with a good understanding of the realities of this benefits program, which are discussed below, can help you plan for...
Retirement
If You Plan to Retire in the Next Five Years, Take These Steps Now
Planning for a comfortable and secure retirement is a multistep process that is complicated and can take decades of preparation. If you are getting close to retiring, the following steps are ones you can take now to help prepare you for life in retirement. Build Your...
Retirement Distribution Strategies for Long-Term Financial Security
Making a plan for withdrawing money from retirement accounts is the piece of the saving-for-retirement puzzle that is often overlooked or treated as an afterthought. This is a mistake. Smart distribution strategies, which can be combined and modified over time, will...
The Case for Roth IRA as Best Beginner Retirement Account
The two most popular choices for retirement accounts are the 401(k) and the individual retirement account (IRA). Both types of retirement accounts have their advantages, but there are a few reasons why a Roth IRA might edge out a 401(k) in the race to retirement. Read...
Newly Retired? Don’t Overlook These Commonly Missed Tax Breaks
With retirement comes the challenge of stretching out your savings for the rest of your life, so it’s more important than ever to take advantage of every available tax break. Surprisingly, there are some tax breaks for seniors that are often missed simply because they...
Should You Consider a Roth Conversion?
The idea of paying taxes on retirement savings sooner rather than later might seem like an ill-advised idea (who knows what the future’s tax rates will be?), but when it comes to a Roth IRA, which is funded with after-tax dollars, it could actually be a smart move for...
How the CARES Act Changed the Rules for 401(k) Withdrawals
Retirement savings plans like 401(k)s are typically difficult to withdraw before age 59.5, and if you do manage to get at your savings early, the move doesn’t come without steep tax withholdings. Enter the Covid-19 pandemic, however, and, at least temporarily, those...