The Divorce Financial Checklist: What to Gather, Inventory, Freeze, and Retitle Before You File
Gather tax returns, statements, and business records before filing — then freeze joint credit, split the 401(k) by QDRO, and update beneficiaries.
#retirement-planning
Retirement Planning
Retirement planning for the self-employed and small business owners, comparing Solo 401(k) and SEP-IRA plans, including 2026 contribution limits, employee deferrals, employer profit sharing, catch-up rules, Roth options under SECURE 2.0, and plan setup deadlines
TIPS, Explained: How U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities Adjust Principal to CPI
TIPS raise your bond principal with CPI-U and pay a fixed rate on the higher base — but the IRS taxes each year’s adjustment as phantom income.
Investment Policy Statement, Explained: How to Write Your One-Page Investing Contract
An investment policy statement puts your goals, allocation, rebalancing and review rules on one page, so panic cannot rewrite your plan mid-drawdown.
Roth vs. Traditional: Pay Tax Now or Later?
Pay tax at today's known rate with Roth, or defer with Traditional and risk higher retirement rates — compare brackets, RMDs, and IRS limits to decide.
Per Stirpes vs. Per Capita: How One Latin Phrase Decides Whether Your Grandchildren Inherit
Per stirpes routes a deceased beneficiary's share to their descendants; per capita gives it to the surviving beneficiaries instead.
Form 1040-SR, Explained: The Large-Print Senior Tax Return, Who Can File It, and the 65-and-Older Standard Deduction Boost
Form 1040-SR is the large-print IRS return for filers 65 and older, with a built-in chart for the $2,000-plus senior standard deduction boost.
PACE Program Finance, Explained: How All-Inclusive Elder Care Runs on Capitated Medicare and Medicaid Payments
PACE pays one capitated monthly rate to cover all care for nursing-home-eligible elders 55+, with zero copays — prevention, not procedures, earns the margin.
Two New Penalty-Free Ways to Tap Your 401(k) for Emergencies: Self-Certification, 3-Year Repay, and the Terminal-Illness Exception
SECURE 2.0 lets 401(k) savers take $1,000 for emergencies or $10,000 after domestic abuse with no 10% penalty — self-certified, repayable in 3 years.
The Golden Handcuffs Your Best Employees Will Actually Thank You For
A restricted executive bonus arrangement funds an employee-owned life policy with deductible Section 162 bonuses that early departures forfeit.
The Once-in-a-Lifetime IRA-to-HSA Rollover: How the Qualified HSA Funding Distribution Works
The IRS allows one tax-free IRA-to-HSA transfer per lifetime, capped at the HSA limit — fail the 12-month test and it is taxable income plus 10%.
Charitable Gift Annuities, Explained: Lifetime Income, a Tax Deduction, and Capital-Gains Relief in One Gift
A charitable gift annuity trades a lump sum for lifetime income plus an IRS deduction — fundable with cash, stock, or a $55,000 IRA QCD.
Your Q4 2026 Tax-Planning Checklist: 10 Moves to Make Before December 31
Ten IRS-smart moves before December 31: place equipment in service, max out 401(k)s, bunch charitable gifts, and prep 1099s under the new $2,000 rule.