Would You Rather Retire in Naples, FL or Palm Springs, CA?
Let’s play a little “would you rather,” retirement edition. Would you rather retire somewhere warm or somewhere warm? Somewhere you can get a tee time, or somewhere you can also get a tee time? Somewhere popular among retirees or… you…
Ready to Retire? Ask Your Spouse These 3 Questions First
You may be ready to call it quits and start your next chapter in retirement, but is your partner ready? They may not be as eager as you to throw in the towel on their career — or, if they are already retired, they might not be ready for all that…
Fixed Annuity Payouts Are Spiking: Is it Time to Lock In?
For savers, the sharp spike in interest rates has a silver lining: higher annuity payouts and larger risk-free guaranteed income streams. When interest rates rise, annuity yields typically follow; insurers earn more on bonds they buy with customer…
Ask the Tax Editor: Tax Questions for Paid Return Preparers
Each week in our Ask the Tax Editor series, Joy Taylor, The Kiplinger Tax Letter editor, answers questions on topics submitted by readers. This week, she’s looking at four tax questions from readers who are paid tax return preparers. (Get a free…
Income Tax Changes Are on the November Ballot: Key Measures to Watch
Federal taxes often get the most attention, but state and local taxes make up a significant portion of the tax burden for households across the country. As many states grapple with budget pressures and competing revenue demands, whether high earners…
Social Security Payment Schedule for 2027
Understanding when your Social Security benefits will arrive each month is essential for budgeting and financial planning. The Social Security Administration (SSA) operates on a fixed calendar, but certain holidays can shift payment dates. Here, we break…
Why Your Pension Likely Means You’ll Pay Taxes in Retirement
If you have a pension and substantial retirement savings, your tax situation could look very different from that of the average retiree. You might have heard the statistic: Roughly 80% of retirees pay no federal income taxes. If you have a pension and a…
5 High-Cost Items Retirees Should Never Buy Outright
Travel the country in an RV. Build the wine cellar in the basement. Who doesn’t have big dreams for when they retire? But instead of paying for these items outright, like so many retirees do, the smarter approach may be to rent instead. Just ask…
How to Create a Predictable Retirement Paycheck
For most of our working lives, we know exactly how we get paid. We go to work, receive a paycheck, pay taxes and bills, save some money and spend the rest. Then retirement arrives, and the paycheck often disappears. That makes retirement one of the few…
No One Wants to Ask Their Aging Parents About Their Finances, But Here’s How
Asking about your parents’ finances can feel awkward until an emergency hits. You’ve procrastinated for years, but now, here you sit across from your parents at the kitchen table, talking about the grandkids or their last vacation, and a…