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Planning checklist
Before You Retire: A Timeline Checklist
What to review five years out, one year out, and in the year you stop working, with the dates that matter. Includes a checklist.
Read the guide →Social Security
Social Security in 2026: Claiming Age, Spouses, and Taxes
Full retirement age, what early and delayed claiming do, spousal and survivor rules, the earnings test, and how benefits are taxed. Includes a checklist.
Read the guide →Roth conversion
Roth Conversions: The Tax Questions to Ask First
How a conversion is taxed, the two five-year clocks, and the ripple effects on Medicare premiums and Social Security taxes. Includes a checklist.
Read the guide →Annuities
Types of Annuities Explained
Fixed, indexed, variable, income, and longevity annuities: who regulates each, who carries the risk, and what to ask.
Read the guide →Browse by topic
7 guides
Retirement Planning
Put the pieces together before the dates arrive.
Explore →6 guidesRetirement Accounts
Contribution limits, rollovers, and the rules that changed.
Explore →4 guidesTaxes in Retirement
What comes out, when it must, and what it costs.
Explore →3 guidesSocial Security and Medicare
Two systems with fixed windows and permanent consequences.
Explore →12 guidesAnnuities
Neutral, source-checked education on every type of annuity.
Explore →4 guidesEstate, Giving and Education
Plans that reach beyond your own retirement.
Explore →37 PDFsPrintable Checklists
Large-print worksheets to fill in with a pencil and bring to a meeting.
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Can You Contribute to a Roth IRA in 2026?Check the income limits, how your filing status matters, and whether your income counts. Includes a large-print checklist.Retirement AccountsCan You Deduct a Traditional IRA Contribution in 2026?Anyone with earned income can contribute. Whether you can deduct it depends on your workplace plan and income. Includes a large-print checklist.Retirement Accounts2026 Retirement Contribution Limits at a Glance401(k), IRA, and SIMPLE plan limits for 2026 in one place, with catch-up amounts for ages 50 and over. Includes a one-page cheat sheet.Retirement AccountsBackdoor and Mega Backdoor Roth: How They Work in 2026What the two-step approach is, why the pro-rata rule catches people, and the plan questions to ask first. Includes a checklist.Retirement AccountsRoth Conversions: The Tax Questions to Ask FirstHow a conversion is taxed, the two five-year clocks, and the ripple effects on Medicare premiums and Social Security taxes. Includes a checklist.Taxes in RetirementRequired Minimum Distributions: What to Know in 2026Your start age, the April 1 trap, the divisor table, and what happens if you miss one. Includes a checklist.Taxes in RetirementSocial Security in 2026: Claiming Age, Spouses, and TaxesFull retirement age, what early and delayed claiming do, spousal and survivor rules, the earnings test, and how benefits are taxed. Includes a checklist.Social Security and MedicareMedicare in 2026: Enrollment Windows, Penalties, and IRMAACosts for 2026, the enrollment windows that trigger penalties, and how income two years ago can raise your premiums. Includes a checklist.Social Security and MedicareInherited IRAs and Beneficiary Reviews: The 10-Year RuleWho gets the 10-year rule, who gets more time, what spouses can choose, and a beneficiary review you can do this week. Includes a checklist.Estate, Giving and EducationWill Your Retirement Income Last? A Practical ChecklistThe six pressures on retirement income, the questions that expose each one, and where the rules you can control sit. Includes a checklist.Retirement PlanningBefore You Retire: A Timeline ChecklistWhat to review five years out, one year out, and in the year you stop working, with the dates that matter. Includes a checklist.Retirement PlanningHealth Savings Accounts in 2026: Limits, Rules, and the Medicare CatchWho qualifies, the 2026 limits, what happens to withdrawals, and why Medicare changes the math. Includes a checklist.Social Security and MedicareWhat Changed for Retirement Savers: SECURE 2.0 and the 2025 Tax LawThe changes that matter to savers, with the year each one starts, and what to ask your employer plan. Includes a checklist.Retirement AccountsPension: Lump Sum or Monthly Payments?How a lump sum is figured, the rollover and withholding rules, spouse protections, and the questions to ask the plan. Includes a checklist.Retirement PlanningOld 401(k): Your Options, Rollover Rules, and Company StockLeave it, roll it, or cash it out. The 20% withholding trap, early-withdrawal exceptions, and the NUA rule for company stock. Includes a checklist.Retirement AccountsAGI and MAGI: Which Income Number Does Each Rule Use?There is no single MAGI. See which version of income decides your IRA, Medicare, Social Security, and tax thresholds. Includes a worksheet.Taxes in RetirementHow Each Source of Retirement Income Is Taxed in 2026Pre-tax accounts, Roth, pensions, Social Security, interest, dividends, gains, and rentals, side by side, with the 2026 brackets. Includes a tax map.Taxes in RetirementCharitable Giving in 2026: Deductions, QCDs, and Donor-Advised FundsWho gets the deduction, how appreciated gifts, QCDs and donor-advised funds work, and what changes in 2026. Includes a checklist.Estate, Giving and EducationEstate Planning Basics: Taxes, Step-Up in Basis, and the Documents That MatterThe 2026 federal exemption, gift rules, how basis works at death, state taxes in VA, NJ and DC, and a document checklist.Estate, Giving and Education529 Plans in 2026: What Counts, What Is Taxed, and the Roth RolloverQualified expenses after the 2025 law, the 10% tax on unused money, gift rules, and the 529-to-Roth transfer. Includes a checklist.Estate, Giving and EducationTypes of Annuities ExplainedFixed, indexed, variable, income, and longevity annuities: who regulates each, who carries the risk, and what to ask.AnnuitiesHow Fixed Indexed Annuities WorkCaps, participation rates, spreads, and the zero floor in plain English, with worked examples from FINRA.AnnuitiesHow Annuities Are TaxedEarnings-first withdrawals, the 10% additional tax, income payments, 1035 exchanges, and what beneficiaries owe.AnnuitiesAnnuity Surrender Charges, Withdrawals, and Free LookHow long the money is tied up, what you can take out each year, and how to change your mind after you buy.AnnuitiesAre Annuities Safe? Guaranty Limits, Ratings, and Complaint ChecksWhat backs the guarantee, your state guaranty limit, how to read a financial strength rating, and how to check the company and the agent.AnnuitiesAnnuity Income Riders ExplainedLifetime withdrawal benefits, the extra cost, why the income number differs from your account value, and what to ask.AnnuitiesIncome Annuity Payout OptionsLife only, period certain, refund, and joint and survivor choices, how they are taxed, and why the choice is hard to undo.AnnuitiesWhat Happens to an Annuity When the Owner DiesDeath benefits, the five-year and ten-year rules, spousal continuation, and what beneficiaries owe in tax.AnnuitiesAnnuities Inside an IRA or 401(k)What the SEC says about tax deferral, the 10% additional tax, required withdrawals, and QLACs.AnnuitiesAnnuities Compared with CDs, Treasuries, and BondsWho backs each promise, how much access you keep, inflation, taxes, and how to compare.AnnuitiesWhen an Annuity May Not Be the Right ChoiceShort time horizons, liquidity needs, high costs, retirement accounts, and replacing a contract.AnnuitiesAnnuity Glossary: 50 Terms in Plain EnglishDefinitions from the SEC, FINRA, NAIC, and IRS, with the source for each.AnnuitiesThe 4% Rule: What It Is and What It Is NotBengen, the Trinity study, newer research, and what the rule leaves out.Retirement PlanningSequence-of-Returns Risk: Why Order MattersIdentical returns in opposite order, a worked example, and ways planners respond.Retirement PlanningHow Much Income Can Your Savings Produce?Withdrawal rate ranges in dollars, guardrails, the RMD method, and starting from the gap.Retirement PlanningBuilding an Income Floor With Social SecurityEssential versus flexible spending, guaranteed sources, and how claiming age shapes the floor.Retirement Planning
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