Retirement, THE-YOU
We all dream of a comfortable retirement. Learn all about the various retirement savings accounts and how to maximize them. Careful planning of your retirement income, budget, and lifestyle can help make sure you don't outlive your money.
Retirement Encyclopedia Articles By Title
The saverâs credit: A tax break for retirement savers
Saving for retirement can feel difficult if your paycheck is already stretched thin. The saverâs credit can help.......
The Social Security decision: Drawing early, delaying, or taking at full retirement age
Your age when you start taking Social Security has a big impact on how much you receive in benefits each month.......
The spousal IRA: Helping your spouse save for retirement
It happens: At a certain pointâmaybe after the birth of a child, a layoff, or an illnessâone spouse might have......
Transfer taxes: How gift, estate, and generation-skipping (GST) taxes fit together
Whether we like it or not, the federal government canât provide services without revenueâand that revenue comes......
Types of individual retirement accounts: Your guide to traditional, Roth, SEP, and SIMPLE plans
An individual retirement account (IRA) is a tax-advantaged way to boost your retirement savings. As an extra benefit,......
Understanding annuities: Should you buy one?
An annuity is an insurance contract that guarantees regular payouts based on how much youâve paid or accumulated......
Understanding sequence risk and its impact on your retirement savings
Imagine youâve scrimped and saved for decades to build a decent nest egg. Youâre ready to retire and know how much......
Weighing pros and cons of annuities
Annuities are one way you can set up regular income and sidestep a few money worries in retirement. But they typically......
What are Medicare Advantage plans, and how are they structured?
Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private health insurers and provide an alternative to traditional Medicare.......
What are self-directed IRAs, and should I consider one?
A self-directed individual retirement account might sound like the ultimate empowerment tool for your nest egg,......
What is a 403(b) plan, and how does it differ from a 401(k)?
If youâre a public school teacher or work for a nonprofit organization, thereâs a good chance your workplace retirement......
What is a beneficiary? Where do I need to designate one?
Youâve finally gotten a real job and it comes with benefits! Wowâhealth insurance and a retirement plan and even......
What is a cash balance pension plan?
Guaranteed retirement income through a company-sponsored pension plan is far less common than it used to be. Nevertheless,......
What is a living will, and why do you need one?
In the realm of health care planning, few documents hold as much weight and significance as a living will. This......
What is a pension? How defined benefit plans work and who gets them
Defined benefit plans were once a mainstay of many companiesâ employee benefit plans, driven largely by the industrialization......
What is a reverse mortgage, and should I consider one?
Reverse mortgage. If you watch daytime TV, youâve probably seen the sales pitch. A celebrity spokesperson tells......
What is a target-date fund?
Target-date funds, also known as life-cycle funds, are a popular mutual fund type for retirement plans such as......
What is an elder law attorney, and when do you need one?
With people enjoying increasingly long lifespans, the need for specialized legal assistance in matters related......
What is ERISA and how does it protect workers?
If you have a workplace retirement plan, ERISA may help protect it. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act......
What is the FIRE movement and is it for you?
Have you heard of the financial independence, retire early (FIRE) movement? Itâs certainly an alluring pitch. Imagine......
What the SECURE 2.0 Act means for you and your retirement
Retirement plans arenât usually associated with âexciting developments,â but the updated SECURE Act introduced......
Whatâs the difference between a 401(k) and an IRA?
When considering tax-advantaged retirement plans, two majors come to mind: the individual retirement account (IRA)......
When memory care makes sense: What families should know about care and costs
One of the most devastating parts of a dementia diagnosis is realizing someone with the disease will slowly, inexorably......
Why tax diversification matters in retirement
Diversification is one of the oldest principles in investing. Rather than concentrating your money in a single......
Why thereâs no easy fix for Social Security
Editorâs note: This article first appeared in Money Matters, a newsletter from Britannica Money, on July 29, 2026.......
Will my Social Security benefits be taxed?
Youâve retired and your Social Security checks have started arriving. But depending on your other income, you may......
Will Social Security run out? 3 myths and truths
The so-called Social Security crisis has taken root in the popular imagination, stoking fears that this pillar......
Will vs. living trust: Whatâs the difference?
Estate planning isnât just for the uber-wealthy. In fact, if you have any property or assets at all, it probably......
Women and retirement: Longevity increases poverty risk
When we talk about the gender pay gap, one thing that sometimes gets overlooked is how it affects women later in......
Working in early retirement? Your Social Security could be reduced
Thereâs no question that working in retirement has become a trendâand for good reason. With so many people living......
Your employerâs 401(k) plan is an easy way to save for retirement
Whether youâve just landed your first job or youâre just starting your retirement savings journey, contributing......
Your guide to small business retirement plans
Offering a retirement plan can help you attract and retain employees, and give you a way to build for your own......
Your retirement income: How required minimum distribution (RMD) rules work
A required minimum distribution (RMD) is the amount the government requires you to withdraw each year from certain......
Youâve inherited an IRA. Do you have to take required minimum distributions?
Your family has successfully completed estate planning and has named beneficiaries for life insurance policies......