Retirement Planning
How to Build a Retirement Income Floor That Covers the Essentials
Guaranteed sources can cover the bills that never stop. The rest of the portfolio can then afford to take risk — and to fluctuate.
By Margaret Ellison·
Social Security
The Case for Delaying Social Security to 70 — and When It Does Not Hold
Waiting raises the monthly benefit by roughly 8% a year. For some households that is the best deal available; for others it is a mistake.
Income Strategies
Bond Ladders Are Back: Structuring Fixed Income for Steady Withdrawals
After a decade of negligible yields, a laddered portfolio of Treasuries can once again anchor a retirement paycheck.
Editors’ Picks
Editors’ picks
Income Strategies
Annuities, Reconsidered: Where Guaranteed Income Fits a Plan
Long dismissed as expensive and opaque, a simple income annuity has a defensible role for households that value certainty.
Taxes
The Order You Withdraw From Accounts Changes the Tax Bill
Taxable, tax-deferred, tax-free: the sequence in which you draw them down is a lever most retirees leave unused.
Everyday Money
Downsizing the Home Without Undermining the Plan
Selling the family house can free up capital and cut costs — or quietly introduce new ones. A clear-eyed look at the trade.
Healthcare & Medicare
Health Savings Accounts as a Retirement Vehicle, Not Just a Deductible
Used deliberately, an HSA is one of the few accounts that is never taxed on the way in or the way out.
Retirement Planning
View allRetirement Planning
Retirement Planning
How to Build a Retirement Income Floor That Covers the Essentials
Guaranteed sources can cover the bills that never stop. The rest of the portfolio can then afford to take risk — and to fluctuate.
Social Security
View allSocial Security
The Case for Delaying Social Security to 70 — and When It Does Not Hold
Waiting raises the monthly benefit by roughly 8% a year. For some households that is the best deal available; for others it is a mistake.
Income Strategies
View allIncome Strategies
Income Strategies
Bond Ladders Are Back: Structuring Fixed Income for Steady Withdrawals
After a decade of negligible yields, a laddered portfolio of Treasuries can once again anchor a retirement paycheck.
Taxes
View allTaxes
Taxes
A Practical Guide to Roth Conversions Before Distributions Begin
The years between retirement and required withdrawals are a narrow window. Used well, they can lower a lifetime tax bill.
Healthcare & Medicare
View allHealthcare & Medicare
Healthcare & Medicare
Medicare Enrollment: The Deadlines That Quietly Cost Retirees
Miss an enrollment window and the penalties can follow you for life. A calendar-first guide to getting it right.
Everyday Money
View allEveryday Money
Everyday Money
How Inflation Reshapes a Fixed-Income Budget Over a Decade
A modest annual rise in prices is easy to ignore in year one. Compounded across retirement, it is anything but modest.
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