How the Rule of 55 lets you pull from your 401(k) penalty-free after leaving a job at 55, how it differs from the 59½ rule and 72(t) SEPP, the IRA rollover mistake that kills it, and the age-50 public safety exception for 2026.
How to use the 72(t) SEPP rule to withdraw from an IRA or 401(k) before age 59½ without the 10% early-withdrawal penalty. The three calculation methods, the allowable interest rate, the modification lock, retroactive penalties for busting a plan, account splitting, FIRE use, and the mistakes that cost people the most.
How a charitable gift annuity works in 2026: ACGA suggested rates by age, the split-interest deduction, tax-free return of principal, capital-gain spreading on appreciated stock, immediate vs deferred CGAs, the SECURE 2.0 one-time QCD election, and how a CGA compares to a charitable remainder trust and a commercial annuity.
A balanced, plain-English guide to Fixed Index Annuities (FIAs) for U.S. retirement savers: how index crediting actually works, participation rates vs caps vs spreads, surrender charge schedules, income riders and their real cost, tax deferral, inflation and opportunity cost, who FIAs fit, and how they compare to MYGAs, variable annuities, and SPIAs.
A practical guide to how Social Security retirement benefits are taxed in 2026: how to calculate provisional (combined) income, the 50% and 85% taxability tiers, which states still tax benefits, and Roth conversion and withdrawal-sequencing strategies with real retiree examples.
A practical 2026 guide to Single Premium Immediate Annuities (SPIAs): how they work, payout options, exclusion-ratio taxation, SPIA vs bond and CD ladders, when a SPIA makes sense, and the mistakes to avoid.
A practical US-market guide to MYGAs (multi-year guaranteed annuities): how the guaranteed rate and term work, MYGA vs CD vs Treasury vs fixed-indexed annuity, tax deferral, 1035 exchanges, surrender charges, market value adjustment, guaranty association limits, and laddering strategy.
A practical retirement-planner's guide to the QLAC (Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract): how a deferred-income annuity inside your IRA or 401k pays out as late as age 85, escapes RMD math, and hedges the risk of outliving your money — plus SECURE 2.0 changes, tradeoffs, and how to buy.
Comparing fixed indexed annuities (FIA) and variable annuities (VA): participation rate caps, M&E fees, GLWB/GMIB riders, surrender charge schedules, taxation, and how both stack up against low-cost direct investing in 2026.