This post was last updated on March 31, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Before 2026 ends, retirees need to make sure they’ve covered all their bases for taxes, charitable giving, RMDs, and more. With recent changes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, there’s even more to consider for your retirement checklist. Whether you’re thinking about retirement, currently transitioning into retirement, or are already fully retired, there are many items on the to-do list.

This post was last updated on March 31, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Social Security changes from the 'One, Big, Beautiful Bill' could have the longest-lasting impacts on your retirement. Healthcare and tax reforms have dominated headlines, but they also have numerous secondary effects.

This post was last updated on March 31, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Receiving an inherited IRA is a significant and emotional event. Sadly, inheriting a retirement account means someone close to you has passed away. The last thing anyone wants to think about is having to avoid tax penalties on the account they inherited, but it’s a real concern.

This post was last updated on March 30, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

There are many rising costs senior citizens have to contend with, but you might be able to stop your property taxes from rising any further. We took a look at programs affecting the Kansas counties surrounding Kansas City to see how you can save on property taxes.

This post was last updated on March 30, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Rising costs and running out of money are a huge worry for many retirees. However, moving forward, you may be eligible for a new “tax freeze” on your Missouri personal property bill. Every little bit helps!

This post was last updated on March 30, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 significantly changed our tax landscape. Most changes were temporary and set to expire or “sunset” at the end of 2025. However, this didn’t exactly happen.

This post was last updated on March 29, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Losing a spouse is awful, and getting hit with a larger tax bill only makes things worse. Thinking about death is never fun, but failure to plan could mean serious tax issues for a surviving spouse. This is what’s often called the “widow’s penalty.”

This post was last updated on March 29, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Are you looking for a way to supercharge your retirement savings? You might want to look into after-tax contributions to your 401k. Many larger employers offer this option, but some smaller employers do as well.

This post was last updated on March 28, 2025, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

SECURE 2.0 didn’t cause any real major changes, but collectively, all the small changes have a significant impact. Put a different way, SECURE 2.0 probably won’t make or break your retirement, but you certainly need to update your financial plan.

This post was last updated on March 28, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

You might not care much about what age you are, but the government does. It’s very important you keep track of key age-related milestones in retirement. If you fail to properly plan for these, you may be missing out on some opportunities – or even face penalties.

This post was last updated on March 27, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

There are three main phases of retirement planning: accumulation, transition, and decumulation (retirement). Depending on which you’re in, you’ll need to focus on different aspects of your financial life. The advice and expertise you need also change as you move through these phases.

Annuities and required minimum distributions (RMDs) are some of the most confusing and buzzworthy topics in retirement. But do you need to worry about either one? Maybe, maybe not.

Annuities often create confusion because of their complexity and the high-pressure sales tactics used to get you to buy them. RMDs are annoying because nobody wants to be forced to do anything in retirement, let alone pay taxes on top of it. It’s important to understand what type of annuity you’re talking about, whether RMDs are going to be an issue for you, and what alternatives you might have.

This post was last updated on February 27, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Are you looking for ways to avoid taxes on retirement and Social Security income? There are many retirement tax strategies you should be aware of. You may even be looking for how to avoid taxes on withdrawals from your 401k or other investment accounts.

This post was last updated on February 26, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Interested in keeping your medical costs low in retirement? Failing to plan out key details could cost you if you’re not careful. Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts (IRMAA) for your Medicare Part B and Part D premiums are a prime example.

This post was last updated on February 25, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

It seems like Roth conversions are all the rage, but are they really the right thing for you? There are many potential benefits, but there are some trade-offs to consider as well. The decision to use a Roth conversion incorporates a much longer timeline than many other tax-saving strategies.

 This post was last updated on February 25, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Although defined benefit plans (pensions) are less common today, many people still rely on them for retirement income. There are specific rules governing the calculation of pension plan payouts, whether in the form of monthly payments or as a lump sum.

If you’re going to be eligible for a pension, then you need to be familiar with the role the Federal General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) rate plays in your benefits. This is particularly important when deciding whether to take a lump sum payout.

This post was last updated on February 24, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

If you’re required to take Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), then knowing your options is important. Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) are a useful tool to keep in mind.

This post was last updated on February 24, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Getting taxed at the capital gains rate is usually considered better, but what if those gains affect your ordinary income taxes? Understanding when capital gains can push you into a higher tax bracket is very important. The final step of investing success is keeping your hard-earned cash where it belongs – in your bank account!

This post was last updated on February 19, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

A 403(b) plan or tax-sheltered annuity (TSA) is a retirement account for public schools, colleges and universities, churches, and non-profit organizations. While the account works similarly to other retirement plans, like a 401 (k), there are some differences.

This post was last updated on February 17, 2026, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

You’ve reached many milestones in your life so far, but retirement brings new challenges and opportunities. You may already have many goals in mind, or you may be going back to the drawing board.