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Your IRA and 401k beneficiary forms control who receives the accounts, not your will or trust. An old form can direct funds to an ex-spouse even if your estate plan says otherwise. Non-spouse heirs face the 10-year rule on most inherited IRAs in 2026, requiring full distribution with taxes due each year. RetirePro flags these designations and shows when a simple trust setup adds needed control.
Read this issue →You enter your current balances, planned 4% withdrawal, and Social Security start age. The AI then simulates thousands of sequences that include early recessions, prolonged low returns, and inflation spikes to 5%. It reports the percentage of outcomes where your money lasts to age 95. RetirePro shows exactly which single change, such as delaying withdrawals by two years, lifts that success rate from 65% to 92%.
Read this issue →Your 401k or IRA balance alone leaves out home equity, taxable brokerage holdings, and remaining debts. Adding these often changes your total by tens of thousands even when contributions stay at the 2026 IRA limit of $7,500. RetirePro tracks every asset and liability so the single number you see each month reflects true progress toward retirement spending needs.
Read this issue →If you retire at 62, set aside $800 each month for individual ACA or COBRA coverage until Medicare begins at 65. In 2026 the standard Part B premium is $185, and most people add a Medigap Plan G for another $150-$200. Track your income to avoid IRMAA surcharges that can add hundreds more. RetirePro runs these exact yearly totals so you can adjust savings targets now instead of at enrollment.
Read this issue →The 4% rule came from 30-year retirement studies with a 50/50 stock-bond mix. If you retire at 55 and need income for 40 years, most planners start at 3.25% to 3.5% instead. Sequence-of-returns risk makes the first five years critical. A 25% market drop in year one while taking $40,000 from a $1M account leaves far less room to recover. Run your own savings, Social Security, and spending numbers through RetirePro to test different rates against real market sequences before you decide.
Read this issue →After retirement but before age 73, many people see taxable income fall below $50,000 for singles. In that window you can convert traditional IRA amounts into a Roth while staying in the 12 percent bracket, which tops out at $23,850 single or $47,700 joint in 2026. Each conversion dollar moved now avoids future RMDs taxed at higher rates later. Run the numbers year by year so you do not push yourself into the 22 percent bracket unnecessarily. RetirePro shows exact conversion amounts that keep you in the target bracket each year.
Read this issue →If your full retirement benefit equals $2,000 a month at age 67, claiming at 62 reduces it to $1,400 monthly. Delaying until 70 raises the payment to $2,480 thanks to 8 percent annual delayed credits. Over roughly 20 years of retirement, that gap exceeds $150,000 in cumulative payments. RetirePro runs the exact numbers for your record so you can compare the three claiming ages side by side before you decide.
Read this issue →A single projection assumes steady returns like 7 percent every year. In reality, early bad markets can cut your savings short even if averages look fine later. When RetirePro runs 1,000 market paths, you learn whether your plan succeeds in 720 cases or only 480. The difference tells you where to adjust savings or spending before you retire.
Read this issue →Beneficiary designations on IRAs and 401(k)s control the accounts regardless of your will, so confirm them each year. Non-spouse heirs inheriting IRAs must empty the account within ten years under current rules, though no annual RMD applies unless the deceased had already begun withdrawals. A simple revocable trust can keep real estate out of probate yet still requires coordinated IRA beneficiaries to avoid tax surprises. RetirePro surfaces these mismatches in your plan so you can correct them once.
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