Index Fund vs Target Date Fund: The 60-Second Formula for Which to Choose
Target-date funds now hold $4.8 trillion, and the cheapest 10% of them charge 0.21% a year while the priciest 10% charge 1.20% — a spread…
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Mega Backdoor Roth, Step by Step: The $47,500 of Roth Space Most 401(k) Savers Never Use
In 2026 the IRS caps everything that can land in a single 401(k) account — your deferrals, your employer’s match, and any after-tax dollars —…
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The HSA Triple Tax Advantage, Explained: The Third Leg Most People Throw Away
Americans held nearly $174 billion in health savings accounts at the end of 2025, spread across 41.7 million accounts. Only about 4.2 million of those…
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Ostrich Effect Investing: What Eleven Months of Not Looking Actually Costs
Researchers with access to 1.2 million Vanguard accounts found something uncomfortable: the day after the Dow falls, the number of investors who log in to…
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401k Rollover Options When You Change Jobs: The Four Choices, Compared
In a peer-reviewed study of 162,360 employees leaving 28 different retirement plans, 41.4% cashed out their 401(k) at job separation — and most of them…
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Backdoor Roth IRA Step by Step: The 2026 Rules and the Trap That Costs Most People Money
In 2026 the Roth IRA front door slams shut at $168,000 of modified adjusted gross income for single filers and $252,000 for married couples filing…
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Present Bias and Retirement Contributions: Why “Just Save More” Almost Never Works
In a study of one mid-sized manufacturing company, workers who were asked to commit to saving more later raised their average savings rate from 3.5%…
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529 Plan vs Roth IRA for College: The 2026 Comparison That Actually Changes the Answer
A 529 plan gets you tax-free growth for college and nothing else. A Roth IRA gets you tax-free growth for anything, but caps you at…
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How Much Should You Have Saved by 35 on a $60k Salary? The Benchmark Is Wrong
The most-repeated number in personal finance is that you should have twice your salary saved by 35. On a $60,000 income, that’s $120,000. The actual…
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Tax Loss Harvesting vs Roth Conversion: Which Should You Do First in 2026?
Both moves save you money on taxes. Only one of them can go first, and doing them in the wrong order in the same calendar…
