Retirement

Your guide to Medicare premiums and taxes

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Medicare premium

Medicare health insurance premiums can add up to big bucks — especially if you’re upper-income, married, and you and your spouse both pay premiums. Read on to understand how taxes fit in.

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Certain charitable donations allow you to avoid taxable IRA withdrawals

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Charitable Required Minimum Distribution

If you’re a philanthropic individual who is also obligated to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from a traditional IRA, you may want to consider a tax-saving strategy. It involves making a qualified charitable distribution (QCD).

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Social Security tax update: How high can it go?

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social security tax

Employees, self-employed individuals and employers all pay Social Security tax, and the amounts can get bigger every year. And yet, many people don’t fully understand the Social Security tax they pay.

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Update on retirement account required minimum distributions

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RMD

If you have a tax-favored retirement account, including a traditional IRA, you’ll become exposed to the federal income tax required minimum distribution (RMD) rules after reaching a certain age. If you inherit a tax-favored retirement account, including a traditional or Roth IRA, you’ll also have to deal with these rules.
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New option for unused funds in a 529 college savings plan

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529 unused funds

With the high cost of college, many parents begin saving with 529 plans when their children are babies. Contributions to these plans aren’t tax deductible, but they grow tax deferred. Earnings used to pay qualified education expenses can be withdrawn tax-free. However, earnings used for other purposes may be subject to income tax plus a 10% penalty.
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If you didn’t contribute to an IRA last year, there’s still time

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IRA Contribution

If you’re gathering documents to file your 2023 tax return and you’re concerned that your tax bill may be higher than you’d like, there might still be an opportunity to lower it. If you qualify, you can make a deductible contribution to a traditional IRA right up until the April 15, 2024, filing date and benefit from the tax savings on your 2023 return.

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IRAs: Build a tax-favored retirement nest egg

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traditional IRA

Although traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs have been around for decades, the rules involved have changed many times. The Secure 2.0 law, which was enacted at the end of 2022, brought even more changes that made IRAs more advantageous for many taxpayers. What hasn’t changed is that they can help you save for retirement on a tax-favored basis. Here’s an overview of the basic rules and some of the recent changes.

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Don’t overlook taxes when contemplating a move to another state

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legal domicile

When you retire, you may think about moving to another state — perhaps because the weather is more temperate or because you want to be closer to family members. Don’t forget to factor state and local taxes into the equation. Establishing residency for state tax purposes may be more complex than you think.

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11 Exceptions to the 10% penalty tax on early IRA withdrawals

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early IRA withdrawal

If you’re facing a serious cash shortfall, one possible solution is to take an early withdrawal from your traditional IRA. That means one before you’ve reached age 59½. For this purpose, traditional IRAs include simplified employee pension (SEP-IRA) and SIMPLE-IRA accounts.

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