This morning the IRS in IR-2025-91 announced that the pending Secure 2.0 final regulations regarding catch-up contributions to qualified retirement plans will be published tomorrow, 9/16/2025, in the federal register.
My initial reading of a summary has two key takeaways for me.
A requirement that catch-up contributions that will require such catch-up contributions to be ROTH for certain taxpayers based their on earned income ($145K indexed) of the prior tax year.
The effective date of the new catch-up provision will now be for tax years after 12/31/2026,

HD writers and commentators have discussed a wide range of topics related to an enjoyable retirement. Finances is a primary topic, including investments and drawdowns, budgets and such. Closely following is use of time and dealing with the break from a working life. 
I think I am fighting a mid-retirement life crisis. All I want now is peace of mind, and to limit stress as much as possible. I don’t want to worry, but that is not happening lately.

Including my time delivering newspapers, I’ve had a total of ten different employers in my life. Some jobs were more memorable than others. One of my early roles was at a company that created merchandise catalogs for department stores.
I was twenty—shy, insecure, and working part-time while attending college. I mostly did the tasks no one else wanted: vacuuming, taking out the trash, cleaning the bathrooms. Yet, two women at that company saw potential in me that I couldn’t yet see in myself.

I think I’m getting in the way. Nothing specific drives this feeling—it’s just a tingling sense from a longtime marriage. Although a suggestion from my wife Suzie about “perhaps taking yourself out for a dander would be helpful” could possibly be concrete evidence of my suspicion.
My getting underfoot arises from the fact we’re organizing to return to our permanent home after spending the summer at our vacation house. There’s a lot of things to do,

I guess I’m going to be hounded out of the forum with pitchforks and flaming torches for confiding this dirty little secret. Apparently, confession is a catalyst for redemption, so here’s the truth: I never have and probably never will produce a statement of net worth.
I really don’t see the point. My two homes and cars aren’t for sale, and their personal contents are just that—personal and not for sale. Since I don’t view any of these possessions as liquid,

I’ve been using an iPhone XR for almost 8 years now. It’s crazy to think about as I bought it back when it first came out, and somehow it’s still chugging along. The battery isn’t great anymore and the camera definitely shows its age, but it still does the job.
With Apple dropping their newest iPhone, I’m finally thinking about upgrading. Part of me feels like I’ve squeezed every drop of life out of this XR,

This issue has come up before, but I was reminded of it this morning when Ben Carlson’s blog linked to a piece by a doctor who followed the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) approach but now works part time. He is thankful he discovered FIRE, but sees three problems with it, one being the definition of retirement. He writes: “I “retired” in 2018, but I still do work I love. I practice part-time as a hospice doctor,

WHEN IT COMES to financial decisions, there are, as I’ve argued before, two answers to every question: what the calculator says, and how you feel about it. There’s a fly in the ointment, though: Calculator answers might appear to be based in logic, but they’re still imperfect.
Why?
Ian Wilson, a former executive at General Electric, explained it this way: “No amount of sophistication is going to allay the fact that all knowledge is about the past,

HOME EQUITY ROSE sharply since 2020 for most states, up 450% in West Virginia, the biggest change in the US.
The average homeowner currently has $313,000 of equity, according to the Mortgage Monitor report.
While that number is likely skewed, we all can agree that many homeowners are sitting on large equity.
And, there likely will come a time when you have to sell your home to either move elsewhere, upgrade, or downgrade. With such large equity also comes another problem –

Thank you Peter for posting on August 29, 2025
Looking Back on Jonathan Clements’ Best Moments

I’m someone who’s been investing for almost 8 years and am early in my life and investing journey. I have only experienced the 2020 drop, along with the April 2025 drop. Of course, both were short-lived and I continued sticking to my investment plan.
A lot of HD forum members have been through more downturn seasons. How did you deal with that? Did you “automate” your investment (a relatively new concept) and delete any phone/web apps to “trick”

I play a bit of golf – thankfully I’m not a fanatic about it, I had a game this morning. It’s definitely an enjoyable way to waste a few hours, have a good dander and a bit of craic, as you would say in my neck of the woods.
I’m not brilliant at it, and it doesn’t really bother me. I still get around the course eventually, and a 27 handicap is grand by me. Some of my mates and fellow players have a completely different approach,

There is a world of reality beyond the HD community.
The Census Bureau reports that poverty among adults at least 65 years old rose in 2024 from the prior year. The poverty rate rose from 14.2% to 15%, the highest level among all age groups.
The 2026  COLA is projected between 2.7 and 2.9% (even though there is no inflation🙄) while the Medicare Part B premium is projected to increase $21.50 plus higher Part D premiums and higher supplemental coverage premiums.

Humble Dollar frequently posts articles about TIPS – Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. This post is not about inflation protected bonds.
The OBBBA includes new code 224, a deduction for tax years 2025-2028, for up to $25,000 in qualified tips received during the year for cash tips received by an individual in an occupation that customarily and regularly received tips before 2024. That code section also includes subsection 224(d)(2)(B) which provides that tips do not qualify for the deduction if they are received in the course of certain specified trades or businesses —

Everyone wants more security for their retirement savings, and outside of Social Security, the most reliable way to achieve this is often the much-maligned annuity. The main issue for many people is losing control of a large chunk of their retirement pot—they simply don’t like the idea. But what if you could get some of the security an annuity provides without giving up control of your cash?
No solution is perfect, but this idea might be of interest.