Personal finance, explained with real numbers.
The clean way to move an old 401(k) into a new employer's 401(k) is a direct rollover after the new plan confirms that it accepts the exact money you hold. The old plan sends the eligible balance …
Continue Reading about 401(k) Rollover to a New 401(k): The Clean Route →
“Empty the inherited IRA within 10 years” is not a complete rule. The result depends on when the owner died, whether death occurred before the owner's required beginning date, what kind of …
Continue Reading about Inherited IRA Rules: The Clock Depends on the Heir →
A required minimum distribution, or RMD, is generally calculated account by account: RMD for the year = account balance on the prior December 31 ÷ applicable IRS life-expectancy factor For most …
Continue Reading about How to Calculate an RMD Without the Deadline Trap →
In late May and June 2020, weeks after the S&P 500 had fallen 33.9% from peak to trough in 33 calendar days, the FINRA Investor Education Foundation and NORC at the University of Chicago asked …
Continue Reading about What Selling in a Bear Market Actually Costs →
Vanguard's 2023 paper is the one everybody cites. In US data it found that putting a lump sum to work immediately beat splitting it into three monthly installments 66.4% of the time. The number that …
Continue Reading about Dollar-Cost Averaging vs Lump Sum: The Windfall Question →
You can defer the full 2026 limit of $24,500 into your 401(k) and still finish the year with less employer match than a coworker who contributed less than you did. That is not an edge case. It is the …
Continue Reading about 401(k) Employer Match: True-Ups, Vesting and the 2026 Caps →
