Retirement

The IRS has announced that the amount of tax-favored funds that you can sock away for retirement is increasing. In 2025, the amount individuals can contribute to their 401(k) plans will tick up to $23,500—it was $23,000 for 2024. The announcement is tied to cost‑of‑living adjustments for pension plans and other retirement-related items for tax

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is notifying almost 950,000 Medicare beneficiaries that their personally identifiable information was compromised in late May 2023. In a press release, CMS reported details of the situation. Here’s a Readers Digest summary. In May 2023, Wisconsin Physicians Service identified a vulnerability in its system for transferring files. WPS

In the famous 2022 Supreme Court Case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned the national law that an abortion was a private matter between a woman and doctor, the petitioners insisted that there is “no causal link between the availability of abortion and the capacity of women to act in society.” In

2025 Medicare Changes Every year there are changes to Medicare Advantage Plans and Social Security. Most years the changes are not dramatic. But this year the change in your Medicare Advantage plan may be dramatic. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, do not assume that your plan will remain the same for 2025. Because

The whole point of retirement is to improve your life—at least, that’s the case for most people. However, many people assume that if they stop working, their life will somehow magically be better. While not working does give you time and energy to pursue your goals and interests, you’ll need to do more work to

There are significant tax-reduction opportunities available when employer stock is held in a 401(k) plan. The opportunities are more significant now, as are the potential consequences of a suboptimal decision, because prices of many stocks increased significantly in recent years. Yet, many people diminish their benefits by rushing their decisions. The key tax break is

If you asked 100 people what the purpose of financial planning is, the reflexive answer of the majority would likely be to have more money. And this underlying belief, spoken or not, is likely why financial planning so often results in under-implemented plans and satisfaction levels that score just marginally above “meh” on a scale

When’s the last time you made a friend? Not just someone you see at work, or someone who is an acquaintance – a real friend. Someone you can call on and confide in, and who has your best interest at heart, and who can lean on you as well. In a previous article, I described

Daughter of elderly mother (EM) called in a bit of a panic. She had just found out that her 80 year old mother, living alone in another state, had been giving thousands and thousands of dollars to a campaign. This was done with recurring donations she had unwittingly signed up for on her cell phone.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is focused on continuing to improve the quality of Part D and Medicare Advantage plans. The Star Ratings system helps beneficiaries and their caregivers compare Medicare health and drug plans and make the best decisions. Every year CMS publishes the Star Ratings to give beneficiaries and their caregivers

Social Security benefits will be a major source of retirement income for most Americans. Yet, shockingly, only some people have a good idea of how much they will receive in benefits from Social Security. In fact, new research from the National Institute on Retirement Security says just 11% of Americans who haven’t yet retired know

For decades, the desperate need for government to help support middle-income frail older adults, younger people with disabilities, and their family members has been clear. Until now, lawmakers largely have done nothing about it. But that finally may be changing. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for President, has proposed an ambitious expansion of

Most economists who had to describe healthy, stable growth would end up largely describing today’s GDP numbers. The economy expanded at an annual inflation-adjusted rate of 2.8% in the third quarter of 2024, after expanding at 3.0% in the previous quarter. Outside of volatile inventory build ups, economic growth actually accelerated. Income growth from continued

The IRS is filling gaps, fixing glitches and answering questions about the SECURE Act and SECURE Act 2.0, and about required minimum distributions (RMDs) in general. Most of the discussions about the laws focus on the end of the Stretch IRA, the 10-year rule, and related issues. But a lot more ground is covered in

Most people at or near retirement age will say they want to remain at home as long as possible. That means not going to a care home of any kind “with all those old people”. It sounds fine when one is 65 or so and in reasonably good health. But of course, aging takes its

Sit down to begin working on your retirement plans, and you’ll quickly realize that there are a number of decisions to be made. While tactical steps like whether to do a Roth conversion or the proper age to begin taking Social Security tend to steal the limelight, one of the best places to start your

Given recent trends in longevity, there’s a good chance you could be retired for 20 to 30 years, which might mean you’ll be retired for a third of your life—or more! You’ll want to plan ahead and take steps to help yourself be financially secure, healthy, and happy for the rest of your life. This

The upcoming election is only days away, and the two presidential candidates remain in a statistical dead heat. Control of the U.S. Congress seems likely to be narrow as well, with either party having a chance to win control. Clearly, the electorate is deeply divided, and it is increasingly rare to find issues that transcend

They’re not right for every family, but there are times when a silent trust is a good idea. A silent trust is one that isn’t revealed to the beneficiary by either the trustee or trust grantor (or creator). The trustee manages the assets and usually doesn’t make distributions to the beneficiary. After a period of

As you approach retirement, it’s important to develop a retirement income strategy. Developing tax-efficient retirement withdrawal strategies to plan your income stream should be an annual process. Each year your taxable income will change, and potentially your living expenses. The tax code has also changed repeatedly in the last 10 years, so it’s important to