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.
October 24, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius
Pension Lump Sum or Monthly Payments? How to Compare Them in 2026
A pension buyout offer and a monthly pension are the same promise priced two ways. Here's how to compare them: break-even age, the return the lump sum would need, survival odds, PBGC limits and taxes.
pillar · pension · retirement-income · withdrawal · tax-planning
October 23, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius
Free Retirement Calculators: Quick Answers to the Questions Everyone Googles
Ten free, no-sign-up retirement calculators that each answer one real question — Social Security timing, RMDs, IRMAA, Roth conversions, pension lump sums, state taxes, early retirement — then hand you into a full plan.
pillar · tools · retirement-income · tax-planning · social-security · medicare
October 14, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius
2027 Social Security COLA Is 3.6%: Biggest Since 2023
The 2027 Social Security COLA is official: 3.6%, about $75/month more — the biggest raise since 2023. What it adds, the new wage base, and what it means.
news · social-security · cola · retirement-income · medicare · 2027
July 22, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius
The 2026 Social Security COLA Is 2.8% — What It Really Adds to Your Check
The 2026 Social Security COLA is 2.8% — about $56/month. Here's what it adds after the Medicare clawback, how it's calculated, and the bigger 2032 trust-fund risk.
news · social-security · cola · retirement-income · medicare
July 15, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius
The 2027 Social Security COLA Forecast Just Fell a Full Point. This Is Why You Plan for a Range.
June CPI cut the leading 2027 Social Security COLA forecasts a full point to about 3.6–3.8%. Why the estimate keeps whipsawing — and how to plan for a range, not a guess.
news · social-security · cola · inflation · retirement-income
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
June 1, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius
The 2027 Social Security COLA: Why the Forecast Just Jumped to 3.9% (and Why You Shouldn't Bank on It)
The latest 2027 Social Security COLA forecast jumped to 3.9% — up from 2.8% a month earlier. Here's how the COLA is actually calculated, why the estimate is so volatile, when the official number lands, and how to plan for a range instead of a guess.
news · social-security · cola · inflation · retirement-income