How to Beat the Widow’s Tax Penalty with Strategic Retirement Planning
When we lose a spouse, our world changes in countless ways—emotionally, socially, and financially. Yet one consequence often flies under the radar: what some call the “Widow’s Tax Penalty.” This isn’t an official IRS term, but it perfectly captures the reality that surviving spouses can face a stealthy increase in taxable income and a dramatic […]
How to Win by Not Losing: Strategies That Help Protect Your Money Against Market Risk
In investing, winning isn’t always about beating the market. Especially in retirement, the families who come out ahead often do so by focusing on a different goal: not losing big when things go wrong. That’s because once you start drawing income from your savings, losses can become far more dangerous than they were during your […]
Learning from the Past: What the 1980s Social Security Crisis Taught Us About Retirement Planning
On March 4, 2022, Barry F. Huston, an analyst in social policy with the Congressional Research Service, released Report R47040. This study compared the financial state of Social Security in the early 1980s to its status in the early 2020s. The report investigated both the demographic pressures and fiscal challenges that had plagued the system […]