Retirement withdrawals

The Trump administration is considering pushing back the age at which retirees have to take required minimum distributions from tax-deferred retirement account.

Waiting until your 70th birthday is the much-discussed strategy to maximize benefits. But in some circumstances, you won't miss out if you file earlier.

IRS rules allow clients in certain circumstances to tap their retirement accounts before the age of 59 1/2 without a 10% penalty. But this still should be considered a last resort, an expert says.

The guideline used a specific set of assumptions: a retirement lasting 30 years with savings in a tax-deferred account and nothing left for heirs. Change just one and your “safe” withdrawal rate may differ.

Retirees will owe taxes for up to 85% of their Social Security benefits if their adjusted gross income plus nontaxable interest exceed a certain threshold.

Plan design features like automatic enrollment and automatic increases are having a positive impact. Such steps are designed to increase participation even from people who may be suffering from inertia, says a researcher.

Many single baby boomers opt to stay put in retirement because they have no children who would advise them to move to an assisted living or continuous care community.

Employees are advised to start looking for coverage in the marketplace, which will be open for 2019 enrollment from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15.

Retirees may have gotten out of the workforce too early if they are not yet eligible to claim health coverage through Medicare.

Instead of making quarterly tax payments, retirees have the option of having the payments withheld from their Social Security and pension benefits.