IRA | Saving to Invest

401(k) to IRA Rollovers: Direct vs. 60-Day Rules (and Avoiding the 20% Withholding Trap)

The safest way to move an old 401(k) into an IRA is a direct, trustee-to-trustee transfer. The money never touches your hands, so the 20% withholding and the 60-day deadline never come into play. Take the check yourself instead and two things happen at once. Your old plan withholds 20%…

401(k) and IRA Early Withdrawal Penalty: The 10% Rule and How to Avoid It

Pull money out of a traditional 401(k) or IRA before you turn 59½, and the IRS adds a 10% penalty on top of whatever income tax you already owe. That's the headline rule everyone knows. What fewer people know is just how many exceptions exist. Some have been on the…

401(k) Loans vs. Hardship Withdrawals: What Changed Under SECURE 2.0 (2026 Guide)

If you're staring at your 401(k) balance wondering how to get at it before retirement, you've got three real options: a loan, a hardship withdrawal, or one of several penalty exceptions Congress has added over the years. They work very differently, and mixing them up is an expensive mistake. I…

2026–2027 Updates: Eight Things NOT to Do With Your 401(k) and IRA

Everyone who has a 401(k) or IRA has read the standard playbook: invest regularly, diversify, keep costs low. Good advice, all of it. But knowing what not to do is just as important — and some of the most expensive mistakes are the ones that feel reasonable in the moment.…

Facing Higher Taxes? Four Strategies That Actually Move the Needle in 2026

Tax bills go up for a lot of reasons — a raise, a bonus, selling an investment, or just bracket creep as your income grows. Whatever the cause, there are concrete, legal strategies that reduce what you actually owe, separate from whatever political debate is happening in Washington about future…

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401(k) to IRA Rollovers: Direct vs. 60-Day Rules (and Avoiding the 20% Withholding Trap)

401(k) and IRA Early Withdrawal Penalty: The 10% Rule and How to Avoid It

401(k) Loans vs. Hardship Withdrawals: What Changed Under SECURE 2.0 (2026 Guide)

2026–2027 Updates: Eight Things NOT to Do With Your 401(k) and IRA

Facing Higher Taxes? Four Strategies That Actually Move the Needle in 2026