Tag: retirement

NQDC Plans: Worth the Employer Risk?

Non-qualified deferred compensation can cut your tax bill, but the balance is an unsecured IOU from your employer. Here is when an NQDC plan is worth the risk.

Which Account to Drain First

Taxable, then traditional, then Roth is a fine default at 65 and a costly one at 45. The bracket-filling alternative, with the 2026 tax math worked out.

529 Plans and the Roth Rollover

The old objection to 529s, what if my kid skips college, just got a lot weaker. The SECURE 2.0 Roth IRA rollover changes the entire funding calculation.

Solo 401k vs SEP IRA

For most tech workers with 1099 side income, the solo 401k beats a SEP IRA. The math, the shared deferral limit, and the backdoor Roth trap that decides it.

A Roth IRA for Your Kid

Your teenager's summer lawn-mowing money can fund a Roth IRA that compounds for 50 years. Here's how custodial Roth IRAs actually work, funding trick included.

Health Insurance Before 65

The biggest unsolved FIRE problem: health insurance before Medicare. Here's how ACA subsidies, MAGI management, and Roth conversions change the math entirely.

The Roth Conversion Ladder

Access your 401k before 59.5 without the 10% penalty. The Roth conversion ladder is how early retirees bridge the gap, here's the full mechanics.

Financial Order of Operations

Where your next dollar should go, in exact priority order. A deterministic flowchart for engineers who want the math to make the decision, not vibes.

Roth vs Traditional: Which One?

Roth vs Traditional isn't a personality quiz. It's a math problem. Here's the break-even logic, the tax-diversification argument, and when each one wins.

Rolling Over Your Old 401k: A Checklist

Left a job with an old 401k sitting there? Here's exactly what to do, all four options, the direct vs indirect rollover trap, and a step-by-step checklist.

Lean FIRE vs Fat FIRE: Pick Your Number

Lean FIRE, Fat FIRE, Barista FIRE, ChubbyFIRE, the full spectrum mapped with real dollar targets so you can stop theorizing and pick your actual number.

Coast FIRE: The Lazy Path to FI

Coast FIRE means your investments are already on autopilot to retirement, no more contributions required. Here's the math and why it changes everything.