Retirement Planning

How To Do a Backdoor Roth IRA
Retirement Planning

How To Do a Backdoor Roth IRA

Ed Slott, CPA | July 8, 2024

A so-called “Backdoor Roth” is a technique for retirement savers to get the benefits of a Roth IRA even if…

Maximum Contribution to a Roth IRA
Retirement Accounts

Maximum Contribution to a Roth IRA

Derek Burnett | June 4, 2024

Maximum contributions to a Roth IRA are limited, but change on an annual basis. Your contributions can rise too.

What are the Maximum Contribution to a 401K
Retirement Accounts

What are the Maximum Contribution to a 401K

Derek Burnett | June 3, 2024

The maximum contribution to a 401K determines how much you can stash away in a year to meet your retirement goals.

Roth IRA vs 401K: What is the Difference?
Retirement Accounts

Roth IRA vs 401K: What is the Difference?

Derek Burnett | June 2, 2024

When it comes to Roth IRA vs 401K you choose and IRA while your employer chooses a 401K. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

When Should You Take Social Security?
Social Security

When Should You Take Social Security?

Derek Burnett | June 1, 2024

You can take social security benefits early, but this leads to reduced payouts. You can also delay collecting social security for larger benefits.

How Much Money Do I Need to Retire?
Retirement Planning

How Much Money Do I Need to Retire?

Derek Burnett | May 31, 2024

There is no hard and fast rule to how much money you need to retire. Instead there are rules of thumb based on assumptions about cost of living.

How Long Will My Money Last in Retirement?
Retirement Accounts

How Long Will My Money Last in Retirement?

Derek Burnett | May 30, 2024

If your finances run dry in retirement, it won’t be easy. It's critical to have realistic ideas of how long your money will last in retirement.

Stop Sabotaging Your Retirement Plans
Retirement Planning

Stop Sabotaging Your Retirement Plans

Sarah Newcomb, PhD | April 19, 2024

Last year, behavioral economist Sarah Newcomb, PhD, explained to Bottom Line Personal readers why smart people routinely make bad financial…

Watch Out for These Land Mines
Retirement Accounts

Watch Out for These Land Mines

Ed Slott, CPA | April 5, 2024

Inheriting an individual retirement account (IRA) from a loved one can be a windfall—but it also can be one of…

Retirement Calculators
Retirement Planning

Retirement Calculators

Christine Benz | March 13, 2024

Whether you’re in the dark about your retirement savings or want to double-check your strategy, there are dozens of free…

Don’t Get Hit With This Medicare Surcharge
Social Security

Don’t Get Hit With This Medicare Surcharge

Heather Schreiber, RICP, NSSA | March 12, 2024

Most higher-earning seniors know they have to pay taxes on their Social Security benefits. But they may not know that…

The Hidden Risks Facing Retirees Today
Retirement Planning

The Hidden Risks Facing Retirees Today

Lane Martinsen | January 19, 2024

Are you worried about outliving your retirement savings? Or a long costly stay in a long-term-care facility? Or concerned that…

Planning to Work Forever?
Retirement Accounts

Planning to Work Forever?

Keven DuComb, JD | December 14, 2023

No one on their deathbed says, “I wish I had worked more”…right? That may have been true in the past,…

How to Protect Your Credit Score After You Retire
Retirement Planning

How to Protect Your Credit Score After You Retire

John ­Ulzheimer | December 12, 2023

Our credit scores typically get higher as we get older…but some of us unintentionally allow our scores to take a…

When Should Your Retirement Plan Include an Annuity?
Retirement Planning

When Should Your Retirement Plan Include an Annuity?

Walter Pardo, CWS | December 10, 2023

Annuities—insurance products that provide guaranteed regular income in exchange for a lump-sum payment upfront—are booming in popularity. Total sales hit…