The Second Half covers the personal finance rules that change after 50 — the catch-up contributions, the withdrawal windows, the Medicare enrollment cliffs, the Social Security timing decisions. One topic per issue, in plain language, from a writer who learned them late and wishes someone had explained them clearly.
The IRS lets workers over 50 set aside an additional $7,500 in a 401(k) each year, on top of the standard limit. There are similar catch-up rules for IRAs and HSAs. The Second Half walks you through which accounts qualify, what to fill first, and how to actually turn it on at your employer — most people who qualify have never heard of it.
Claiming Social Security early permanently reduces your monthly check. Waiting can increase it by as much as 76%. We walk through the trade-offs in real dollars — what claiming at 62, full retirement age, and 70 each look like over a 20-year horizon, and why the right answer depends on factors most calculators ignore.
There is a quiet order of operations for funding retirement accounts after 50 — and getting it right is worth more than picking the right fund. We cover what each account does, who it is built for, and the sequence that minimizes taxes today and in retirement.
At 73, the IRS requires you to start withdrawing from most tax-deferred accounts. Miss the deadline and the penalty is severe. We explain the formula, the deadlines, the exceptions, and the options people use to keep RMDs from pushing them into a higher tax bracket.
Medicare has four parts, three enrollment windows, and one initial enrollment period that, if you miss it, costs you a permanent monthly premium increase. We walk through what each part covers, when to enroll, and how Medicare interacts with private insurance for people still working past 65.
A portfolio built at 55 looks different than one started at 25 — different time horizon, different tolerance for volatility, different tax situation. We cover what a sensible late-start portfolio actually contains, why it is simpler than the industry suggests, and how to think about risk when retirement is closer than the start.
One small move per issue. Free.