RETIREMENT GUIDES
Learn About Retirement
Straightforward guides to help you understand retirement income, spending, taxes, and the decisions ahead.
40 guides across 5 topics
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40 guides
Required Minimum Distributions Explained: $500,000 ÷ 26.5 = $18,868 (2026)
At age 73 the IRS requires you to withdraw at least $18,868 from a $500,000 traditional IRA — that is $500,000 divided by the Uniform Lifetime factor of 26.5. Every dollar is taxed as ordinary income, and missing the deadline costs you 25% of the shortfall. Run your own number with the RMD calculator.
18 min readRetirement Planning for Beginners: Where to Start in Your 20s and 30s (2026)
If you're in your 20s or 30s and haven't started saving for retirement yet, the single most important thing you can do today is contribute enough to your 401(k) to capture your full employer match — then open a Roth IRA and contribute $625/month ($7,500/year). Everything else — asset allocation, Roth vs. traditional, investment selection — matters much less than simply starting. Time is the most powerful force in retirement savings, and every year you wait costs more than you think.
20 min readRetirement Savings by Age: Benchmarks for Your 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s (2026)
The general benchmark is to have saved 1× your salary by 30, 3× by 40, 6× by 50, and 10× by 67. But these multipliers are a starting point, not a verdict. Whether you're ahead, behind, or somewhere in between, this guide breaks down what you should realistically have saved at every age — and what to do if the numbers don't match.
14 min readRMD Strategies: Cut the Tax on Your $18,868 Withdrawal (2026)
A 73-year-old with $500,000 in a traditional IRA owes at least $18,868 — that is $500,000 ÷ 26.5 — and every dollar is taxed as ordinary income. Roth conversions before 73, Qualified Charitable Distributions, and bracket-aware timing can cut that tax bill by thousands. Run your own number with the RMD calculator, then use the strategies below.
19 min readRoth Conversion Ladder: A Strategy to Access Retirement Funds Early (2026)
The Roth conversion ladder is a strategy that lets early retirees access traditional IRA or 401k money before age 59½ — without paying the 10% early withdrawal penalty. It works by converting money from a traditional account to a Roth IRA each year, then waiting five years before withdrawing those converted funds penalty-free. Done correctly, it provides a pipeline of tax-advantaged income that can bridge the gap between early retirement and traditional retirement age.
16 min readRoth IRA vs Traditional IRA: Which Saves You More in Taxes? (2026)
If you expect to be in a higher tax bracket in retirement than you are today, a Roth IRA saves you more. If you expect to be in a lower bracket in retirement, a traditional IRA saves you more. In practice, most middle-income earners benefit from having both — the certainty of tax-free Roth growth combined with the upfront deduction of traditional contributions provides tax flexibility no single account can match.
21 min readSocial Security COLA Explained: How Your Benefits Keep Up with Inflation (2026)
The 2026 Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) is 2.5%, increasing the average retirement benefit by approximately $48/month — from $1,859 to $1,907. COLA is designed to protect Social Security benefits from inflation, but it doesn't always keep pace with the costs that matter most to retirees: healthcare, housing, and prescription drugs. Here's how it works, what it's worth, and what to do when it's not enough.
13 min readThe 4% Rule Explained: $1,000,000 × 4% = $40,000 a Year (2026)
$1,000,000 × 4% = $40,000 a year — $3,333 a month. Withdraw that amount in year one, then adjust it for inflation each year. Test a portfolio with the 4% rule calculator.
15 min readThe Biggest Expenses in Retirement (and How to Plan for Them) (2026)
The five biggest expenses in retirement are housing, healthcare, food, transportation, and taxes — in that order for most Americans. But what surprises most retirees isn't the categories themselves, it's the amounts. Healthcare consistently runs 50–100% higher than people budget. Long-term care — which most people don't budget for at all — can wipe out decades of savings in a few years. And taxes on traditional retirement account withdrawals often add $5,000–$15,000/year that people didn't account for.
20 min readReady to put the ideas to work?
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