Category: Retirement & Social Security
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Dental, Vision, Hearing: What Medicare Leaves Out
Original Medicare skips most dental care, eyeglasses, and hearing aids. What the exceptions are and the realistic options for filling the gaps.
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The Roth IRA Five-Year Rules, Untangled
Roth IRAs have two different five-year clocks, one for earnings and one for conversions. How each works, when they start, and the ordering rules that help.
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IRMAA Explained: The Medicare Surcharge on Higher Incomes
Medicare’s IRMAA surcharge adds $81.20 to $487 a month to Part B in 2026. The income brackets, the two-year lookback, and how to appeal with Form SSA-44.
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If Your Pension Plan Fails, the PBGC Steps In
A federal insurer backs most private pensions. What the PBGC guarantees in 2026, the limits on that promise, and what happens when a plan is taken over.
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401(k) Rollovers: Why the Direct Route Beats a Check
Take a 401(k) rollover as a check and 20 percent vanishes to withholding, with 60 days to make it whole. How a direct rollover avoids the whole trap.
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What the 2026 Trustees Report Means for Your Benefits
The 2026 Trustees Report projects the retirement fund runs short in late 2032, with 78 percent of benefits still payable. What that does and does not mean.
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Medicare Advantage or Original Medicare: The Trade-Offs
Original Medicare buys freedom to see any doctor; Medicare Advantage bundles extras inside a network. Here are the trade-offs that actually decide it.
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Claiming Social Security at 62, 67 or 70: The Monthly Math
Claim at 62 and your Social Security check shrinks about 30 percent for life. Wait to 70 and it grows 24 percent. The exact math behind each claiming age.