On May 22, Kevin Warsh officially took over from Jerome Powell as head of the Federal Reserve. And his first meeting as Fed Chair is shaping up to be a political and economic…
A couple in their early 60s never expected their retirement plan to include running a bed-and-breakfast. Then they inherited a 1920s farmhouse on 26 acres in North Georgia. The property is full of possibilities:…
A 63-year-old single man has read the same advice everyone else has: wait until 70 for a bigger check. An illustrative $1,750 a month sits there if he files now, and every finance column…
A 72-year-old retiree moves a chunk of cash into certificates of deposit, locks in a safe yield, and sleeps better at night. Then tax time arrives. The CDs threw off about $3,500 in interest,…
A 64-year-old retires in 2026 with $1.4 million in a traditional 401(k), a paid-off house, and Social Security he plans to claim at 70. He posted the question on a retirement forum that gets…
She turned 67, started drawing Social Security, and figured the hard part was over. A part-time job came up at about $22,000 a year, three days a week, mostly to stay busy and cover…
Two retirees walk into retirement with the same amount of money. One builds a portfolio that pays $120,000 a year but barely grows. The other settles for $65,000 a year and focuses on dividend…
Retirement accounts are supposed to be untouchable until someone reaches 59.5 years of age, and the 10% early withdrawal penalty exists to enforce exactly that. However, IRC §72(t)(2)(A)(iv) contains a lesser-known exemption that allows…
A rank-and-file member of Congress earns $174,000 per year. A dividend portfolio can generate the same level of income without a campaign, constituents, or a weekly commute to Washington. Unlike a salary, however, this…
A 58-year-old posted on Reddit’s tax forum last fall that his father had left him a $750,000 401(k), and the plan administrator wanted to know within 30 days whether to cut a check, open…
A divorced 58-year-old graphic designer has no retirement savings, real obligations to adult children, real debt, and a real fear that the window has already closed on his own financial future. It hasn’t, but…
Most grandparents who want to contribute to a grandchild’s education move money into a 529 account in small annual increments, staying under the gift tax exclusion each year and hoping time does the rest.…
When retirees learned they'd be getting a 2.8% Social Security COLA in 2026, many weren't happy and were quick to blast that raise as stingy and inadequate. While a 2.8% raise isn't negligible, it…
President Donald Trump came into office pledging to protect Social Security and Medicare. And the President has not made any direct cuts to the programs, in keeping with his promise. However, the passage of…
A 55-year-old software developer has spent decades building a career in an industry that suddenly feels less predictable than it did just a few years ago. Artificial intelligence is writing code, companies are flattening…
