RETIREMENT GUIDES
Learn About Retirement
Straightforward guides to help you understand retirement income, spending, taxes, and the decisions ahead.
40 guides across 5 topics
Explore the guides
Find a clear answer to your retirement question.
40 guides
The Bucket Strategy for Retirement Income: How to Structure Your Withdrawals (2026)
The bucket strategy divides your retirement savings into three pools — cash, bonds, and stocks — organized by when you'll need the money. It's one of the most popular retirement income frameworks because it solves two problems at once: it provides a systematic withdrawal plan, and it gives you the psychological confidence to stay invested through market crashes without panic-selling. This guide explains how to set up your buckets, size them correctly, refill them over time, and understand the strategy's real strengths and weaknesses.
15 min readHow Much Does Long-Term Care Cost in 2026?
A private nursing home room now costs a median of $10,798/month — $129,575/year — and 70% of people turning 65 will need some form of long-term care. Yet most Americans have no plan to pay for it. Medicare covers almost nothing. Long-term care insurance covers fewer than 3% of the population. And Medicaid requires you to spend nearly everything you own before it kicks in. This guide lays out the real costs, who pays, and how to protect yourself.
15 min readHow Much Does Medicare Cost in Retirement? $6,000–$8,000 a Year (2026)
A typical 65-year-old will spend $6,000–$8,000 a year on Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket costs in 2026 — $12,000–$16,000 for a couple. Over a 20-year retirement, that is $150,000–$200,000 per person after inflation. This guide breaks down every 2026 Medicare cost so you can build an accurate healthcare budget.
15 min readInherited IRA Rules in 2026: The 10-Year Rule Explained
If you inherited an IRA after 2019, you likely must empty the entire account within 10 years — and depending on when the original owner died, you may also owe annual required minimum distributions along the way. The rules changed dramatically under the SECURE Act, and the IRS didn't finalize the details until July 2024. This guide explains exactly what's required, who's exempt, and how to minimize the tax hit.
16 min readPension Lump Sum vs. Monthly Annuity: How to Choose the Right Payout (2026)
When you retire with a pension, you may face one of the biggest financial decisions of your life: take a one-time lump sum or receive guaranteed monthly payments for life. There is no universally correct answer — the right choice depends on your health, your other income sources, interest rates, and how much investment risk you're willing to take. This guide walks through both options with real 2026 numbers so you can decide with confidence.
16 min readSequence of Returns Risk: Why the Order of Returns Can Wreck Your Retirement (2026)
Two retirees with identical average returns over 30 years can end up with wildly different outcomes — one wealthy, one broke — depending entirely on the order those returns arrived. This is sequence of returns risk, and it's the single most dangerous financial concept most retirees have never heard of. This guide explains how it works, why 2026 retirees face elevated risk, and exactly how to protect against it.
15 min readSocial Security Survivor Benefits: Who Qualifies and How Much You'll Receive (2026)
About 5.8 million Americans receive Social Security survivor benefits, with the average nondisabled widow or widower collecting $1,931/month in 2026. Survivor benefits can replace a significant portion of a deceased spouse's income — but the rules around eligibility, claiming age, and coordination with your own benefits are complex. This guide covers everything you need to know.
15 min readHow to Avoid the Social Security Tax Torpedo (2026)
The Social Security tax torpedo is a hidden spike in your effective tax rate that can turn a 22% bracket into a 40.7% rate — without you ever crossing into a higher bracket. It happens when each dollar of retirement income forces up to 85 cents of previously untaxed Social Security benefits into your taxable income. This guide explains how the torpedo works, who it hits, and exactly how to avoid it.
15 min readWhat Is IRMAA? How High Income Raises Your Medicare Premiums (2026)
IRMAA is a surcharge on your Medicare Part B and Part D premiums that kicks in when your income exceeds $109,000 (single) or $218,000 (married filing jointly). At the highest bracket, you'll pay $689.90/month for Part B alone — more than triple the standard $202.90 premium. This guide explains how IRMAA works, what triggers it, and how to avoid paying more than you need to.
15 min readReady to put the ideas to work?
Bring your numbers together in the Plan Builder, or explore a single question with a free calculator.