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What Inflation Rate to Use for Retirement Planning: 2%, 2.5%, 3% or Higher?
The inflation rate to use for retirement planning is usually a range rather than one number: about 2.5% to 3% for general spending, a higher […]
Retirement Planning Mistakes: 10 Costly Errors to Avoid in 2026
Retirement planning mistakes rarely come from one bad investment; most come from timing, tax, and paperwork decisions made once and paid for over decades. Key […]
How to Protect Your 401(k) From a Market Crash: What Falls, What Doesn’t, and the Levers That Matter
Protecting a 401(k) from a market crash is mostly about structure set in advance: diversification, a glide path matched to the retirement date, and avoiding […]
FERS Deferred Retirement: Who Qualifies, When the Annuity Starts, and What Former Employees Give Up
FERS deferred retirement lets a former federal employee who left before qualifying for an immediate annuity collect a FERS pension later, starting at the minimum […]
USPS Pension: How the Post Office Retirement Plan Works in 2026
The USPS pension is a federal FERS or CSRS annuity paid by OPM, not a separate Post Office plan, and since 2025 its retiree health […]
Using a 401(k) to Pay Off Debt: Loan, Withdrawal, or Neither? (2026)
Using a 401(k) to pay off debt is legal, but the cost depends on the route, the borrower’s age and the type of debt being […]
Spouse Cashed Out 401(k) During Divorce: Your Legal and Tax Options
When a spouse cashed out a 401(k) during divorce, the tax bill usually stays with the account owner while the court can still credit the […]
Retirement Planning for High Net Worth Individuals: The 2026 Tax and Estate Problems That Change
Retirement planning for high net worth individuals is less about saving more and more about managing the taxes that large balances trigger on their own. […]
Retirement Planning for Couples: Coordinating Two Accounts, Two Benefits, and One Tax Return
Retirement planning for couples works as one plan built for two lifetimes, because the tax return, the Social Security checks, and the Medicare bills all […]
Retirement Goals: Examples by Category and How to Make Each One Measurable
Retirement goals are easiest to fund when written as numbers with dates, because a target like “replace 80 percent of income by age 65” can […]