Yearfold journal
Field notes on planning a real retirement
The Yearfold journal is honest, sourced writing about retirement planning under 2026 federal rules — the post-OBBBA tax brackets, the post-SECURE 2.0 RMD ages, the Social Security taxability thresholds that haven’t moved since 1993, and the Medicare IRMAA tiers that move every year. Every post is written by Yearfold’s founder, every load-bearing number traces to a primary source (IRS, SSA, CMS, Congressional Research Service, FRED), and every page carries the date it was last reviewed against those primary sources.
What you won’t find here: pump-and-dump stock picks, advisor-affiliate funnels, or generic “invest in low-cost index funds” restated for the thousandth time. What you will find: the math behind the 4% rule’s actual claim and its limits, when a Roth conversion ladder pays and when it costs more than it saves, what 2026 brackets really look like after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, how the Social Security “tax torpedo” reshapes a middle-income retiree’s real marginal rate, and what Monte Carlo simulation actually means when a calculator claims to use it.
August 20, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius
How to Retire at 55 Without the 10% Early-Withdrawal Penalty
Retiring at 55 means bridging the years to 59½. Here are all the IRS rules to tap your 401(k)/IRA penalty-free — plus how long $1M and $2M really last.
pillar · early-retirement · withdrawal · roth · 401k · tax-planning · financial-independence
July 29, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius
2026 401(k) & IRA Contribution Limits: The Super Catch-Up Most 60–63-Year-Olds Miss
The 2026 401(k) limit rises to $24,500 and the IRA limit to $7,500 — but the age 60–63 super catch-up and a new Roth catch-up rule for high earners are the real story.
retirement-savings · 401k · ira · contribution-limits · secure-2.0 · taxes
June 14, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius
Does Your State Tax Your Retirement Income? The 2026 Map — and Why It Belongs in Your Plan
Two retirees with identical income can owe wildly different state taxes — and most people never run the numbers. Here's the 2026 picture: the 9 states with no income tax, the 8 that still tax Social Security, the states that fully exempt retirement income, and the planning moves (Roth timing, relocation, withdrawal order) that turn this from a surprise into a decision.
pillar · state-taxes · retirement-income · social-security · 401k · tax-planning · 2026
April 30, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius, Founder of Yearfold
Why your 401(k) projection is probably too optimistic
Brokerage retirement projections quietly skip three forms of risk. Here's what they leave out, and why your real-world result usually undershoots the line on the chart.
pillar · 401k · fundamentals