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.
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
July 8, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius
The $6,000 senior deduction: what it actually does (and doesn't do)
No, Social Security is not tax-free now. Here's what the OBBBA senior deduction really is: $6,000 per person 65+, phasing out above $75,000/$150,000 MAGI, gone after 2028 — with worked examples and the Roth-conversion trap nobody mentions.
news · taxes · obbba · social-security · retirement-tax
July 1, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius
Social Security's 2032 deadline: what a 22% benefit cut would do to your plan
The June 2026 Trustees Report moved the retirement trust fund's depletion date up to late 2032 — after which only 78% of scheduled benefits are payable. Here's what a 22% cut means in dollars, why claiming at 62 is usually the wrong reaction, and how to model the cut in your own plan.
news · social-security · public-policy · trust-fund
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 5, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius
Is $500K Enough to Retire On? An Honest Answer
For some households, $500,000 is comfortably enough to retire on. For others it isn't close. The difference is almost never the $500K — it's three other numbers: your spending gap after Social Security, your age and claim timing, and your household shape. Here's the honest math, with worked examples.
enough-to-retire · 500k · retirement-savings · social-security · early-retirement
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
April 8, 2026 · Mindaugas Laucius, Founder of Yearfold
Social Security claim age: 62 vs 67 vs 70, with worked numbers
How much does waiting actually pay? Three workers, identical earnings histories, three claim ages. The gap is bigger than most people expect.
social-security · fundamentals