Learn how to withdraw $1K from your IRA

In most cases, if you withdraw your money from an IRA before you turn 59½ years old, you'll face a hefty 10% penalty

However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. In the case of adoption, death, terminal illness, education, homebuying, and more, you can access your funds without a strike against you. A chart outlines the different exceptions to this rule, plus the accounts to which they apply.

529 savers can now roll funds into a Roth IRA

One of the key disadvantages of a 529 college savings plan is the possibility a beneficiary doesn’t end up going to college. Nonqualified withdrawals are subject to a 10% penalty. However, as of 2024, the SECURE Act 2.0 started allowing 529 savers to roll over $35K into a Roth IRA.

Learn about the differences between traditional and Roth IRAs

Traditional IRAs allow tax-deductible contributions, but withdrawals in retirement are taxed as income. Roth IRAs use after-tax dollars, offering tax-free withdrawals later, but income limits may restrict eligibility. Choosing between the two depends on your financial situation today and your future tax outlook.

The IRS sets new contribution limits for IRAs and 401(k) plans each year

In 2024, individuals could contribute up to $7K across all their IRAs. People aged 50 and older could contribute up to $8K. For 2025, the IRS kept the same contribution limits.

Some people roll their 401(k) into an IRA to have more control over their account

However, some argue that you could end up paying less money to invest in a 401(k) plan than you would to invest in an IRA. This article offers a list of pros and cons regarding rolling a 401(k) into an IRA.

An individual retirement account is a type of tax-advantaged investment account

An IRA lets individuals at most income levels invest either pre- or post-tax money for retirement. IRAs are often good solutions for people who don’t have the option to invest in a 401(k) plan—or for those who want to put even more money aside for retirement.

You have to earn under a certain gross amount per year to be eligible for a Roth IRA

A Roth IRA might make the most sense for someone confident that they will have a higher income in retirement than they do now. For 2025, those allowed to contribute to a Roth IRA must have a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of less than $150K.

What's a rollover IRA?

A rollover IRA is a type of investment account that lets you move the money from an old retirement account into an IRA after you stop working for your employer. This move lets you keep your funds in a tax-deferred account without being hit with taxes, fees, or penalties. This article explains how you can roll over your money and highlights any restrictions to keep in mind. Learn more here.

Seven early retirement lessons

After one year of retirement under his belt, financial publication Kiplinger's former editor has learned some lessons. Specifically, in this article, he shares his best early retirement advice, from when it makes sense to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth in early retirement, to how to prepare for retirement from a psychological perspective. Read more here.

Some FIRE followers abide by the 4% rule for portfolio withdrawals

Many FIRE proponents also abide by the 4% rule, which says that retirees can withdraw roughly 4% (adjusted for inflation) of their retirement portfolio each year.

Roth IRAs were first introduced in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997

The Roth IRA is one of the most popular retirement accounts in the US. Nearly a quarter of Americans contributed to a Roth IRA in 2023. But this type of financial account hasn’t been around for that long.

7 things to know about inherited IRA rules

An inherited IRA is any kind of IRA or 401K plan you inherited from someone after they’ve died. Since there are different tax advantages for each type of retirement account, the rules you have to follow widely differ based on the account, your relationship to the deceased, and how you want to use the money. Here are the seven things you must know to navigate an inherited IRA.

Backdoor Roth IRAs are loopholes used to access the tax advantages of a Roth IRA for individuals who otherwise make too much money to qualify for one

Backdoor IRAs work by investing money into a traditional IRA, and then converting that traditional IRA to a Roth IRA.

PayPal's Peter Thiel turned his Roth IRA into $5B

In 1999, tech titan Peter Thiel had a Roth IRA with roughly $2K in it. By 2019, that tax-free account was worth $5B. For context, the average Roth IRA was worth roughly $39K at the end of 2018. Naturally, Thiel had a few investment options that the average person probably doesn’t have access to—but the story of his IRA’s boom is nonetheless fascinating.

Spousal IRAs give spouses who do not work a way to save for retirement

In most cases, only working individuals can open and contribute to an IRA. But the IRS has a special exception for married couples: the spousal IRA. It lets the working spouse open and contribute to an IRA on behalf of their nonworking spouse.

43% of Americans don't have savings to pay for a $1K emergency

That's according to data from January 2026 shared by US News. Among those who did have an emergency fund, the median balance was $5K.

Investments into an annuity are typically locked up during the accumulation period

For one year, most annuitants won’t be able to withdraw any funds. After that, most contracts allow them to take out up to 10% of their accumulated total annually before fees—called surrender charges—are applied to their withdrawals.

What 401(k) savers near retirement can do amid market volatility

If you're close to retirement, volatility in the stock market can feel scary. This guide for 401(k) savers has suggestions on what to do with your retirement accounts during uncertain times, based on how close you are to the age you'd like to retire.

Check out a list of 15 red flags that might result in an IRS audit

The Internal Revenue Service has audited less than 1% of all individual tax returns. If you're still worried about being audited, know that some people are more likely to be audited than others, such as people who make a lot of money and those who take large charitable deductions.

CDs come with risks, such as penalties for early withdrawal and inflation

CDs are generally considered fairly safe investment options. A CD bought via a federally insured bank is insured up to $250K.

Gifting money is one way to avoid death taxes

Gifting money while you're alive is one way people avoid estate and inheritance taxes. There is a yearly cap on how much you can give to a person before that money is taxed—but there isn't a cap on how many people you can give money to in a year.

It cost the IRS $0.36 to collect $100 in 2024

It costs the IRS a significant amount of money to do part of its job—collecting money. For instance, the Internal Revenue Service spent $16.1B to collect $4.7T in taxes in 2023.

How to owe nothing on your federal tax return

Do you know you can avoid owing the IRS money come tax season by making changes to your W-4? For context, a W-4 is the form you fill out when you first start a new job. It tells your new company how much money to withhold from each paycheck for taxes. Find out how to avoid writing a check to the IRS each April in this article.

Some banks derive half of their income from overdraft fees on checking accounts

The fees are incurred when a customer withdraws more money than is left in the account, typically around $35 per overdraft. One in 11 Americans pays more than $350 a year in such fees, generating tens of billions of dollars each year for banks..

Experts say those receiving year-end bonuses may want to pay down high-interest debt

Experts say other sound options for spending bonuses include topping off an emergency fund or putting more money away for retirement.

Calculate how much of your tax dollars go to each federal program based on your income, filing status, and number of children

An initial public offering or 'IPO' is the process of a private company becoming public by putting shares of the company on the stock market for purchase.

Hedge funds, the private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets, make money by imposing steep fees on investors and from the fund's investment performance.

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Fast-casual restaurant Chili's is experiencing a resurgence, with its parent company recently reporting a nearly 32% increase in sales, thanks to passionate Gen Z fans on TikTok.

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Sears sold DIY house kits starting at $600 in its famous catalog from 1908 through the 1940s, resulting in roughly 10,000 'Sears and Roebuck houses' being built.

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Long before Major League Baseball began allowing instant replay for balls and strikes, an umpire reluctantly used the technology to determine whether a hit was a home run, a move that inadvertently ushered in a new era for the sport.

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To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

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