Your parent spent 40 years building a $500,000 traditional IRA. When they leave it to you, the IRS becomes your silent co-heir. For a working adult in their 50s earning a solid salary, the…
A 58-year-old earning $280,000 a year has already maxed their pre-tax 401(k) deferral. What most do not know is that their plan may allow them to contribute an additional $47,500 per year in…
Millions of Americans worry about theft of their financial identity and personal data. Wayne from New York recently called The Clark Howard Podcast to ask if identity theft insurance is worth it. He’s paying…
A couple in their early fifties with $2.1 million saved and $350,000 in annual household income wrote in to the Rich Habits Podcast wanting to retire at 54. Austin Smith’s reply cut to the…
Your net worth is an important measure of your financial health. One common question is whether your home equity should be included in that calculation. While it’s technically part of your net worth, it…
Filing for Social Security at 62 costs more than a smaller monthly check, and most people who sign up early have no idea how deeply that decision reaches into their financial future.
The hosts of the How to Money podcast, on Friday Flight episode #1131, drew a line most parents funding a 529 have never thought about. “If you have $35,000 in there, great. If you…
A public school teacher at 55 with a 403(b) and access to a governmental 457(b) plan can legally shelter $65,000 from federal taxes in 2026. A private-sector employee the same age, maxing a standard…
$4,800 a month sounds like a real retirement income. For a single 63-year-old, it is close to the median household income in many mid-cost American cities. The problem is what happens after taxes, fixed…
A mom named Sandy from Michigan called into The Clark Howard Podcast this week with a parenting question. “My 12-year-old asked me about getting a Cash App teen account to learn more about finances,”…
Brian Preston of the Money Guy Show recently distilled a quiet crisis into one number: “57% of Americans, that this is where they don’t report having any money outside of 401(k)s, meaning that if…
On a recent episode of NerdWallet’s Smart Money Podcast titled USPS’ Cash Crisis Hits More Than Your Mailbox, Plus The Debt Settlement Trap to Avoid, the guest framed the U.S. Postal Service’s predicament in…
Donna from Alaska wants to leave something for her grandchildren but at age 57, she only has $20,000 in her retirement account. On the plus side, she has $500,000 in assets and no debt.…
A caller named Alex phoned into The Clark Howard Podcast recently for help with a decision most pension holders only get to make once. Should he take $411 per month for life, or accept…
A 65-year-old woman called into The Ramsey Show recently with a situation many Americans face but rarely discuss: she started working at 63, has $85,000 saved, and her Social Security statement shows “maybe $600…
