Senior Money Desk
Education only — personal moves (conversions, QCDs, timing) route to a credentialed pro.
How much of my Social Security is taxed?
Social Security taxability is based on provisional income — your adjusted gross income plus tax-exempt interest plus half your Social Security benefits. Below the first tier none of your benefits are taxed; in the middle tier up to 50 percent; above the top tier up to 85 percent. It is a sliding scale, not a cliff — but small income changes near a tier line matter.
RMD radar
Required Minimum Distributions from traditional retirement accounts begin at age 73 under current law (rising to 75 for younger cohorts) — the age is read from the tax-year tables, so a law change is a data update. Missing an RMD carries a penalty; the Radar watches this deadline with your cases.
IRMAA — the two-year look-forward
IRMAA: the income you report this year sets your Medicare Part B and Part D premium tiers two years from now. Unlike the taxability scale, IRMAA tiers are cliffs — one dollar over a bracket line can raise premiums for the whole year. A big Roth conversion, a property sale, or a one-time bonus deserves a second look before December 31.
QCD — the charitable saver
From age 70½, a Qualified Charitable Distribution sends IRA money directly to charity: excluded from income and counted toward your RMD. 2025 limit: $108,000 per person, read from the 2025 table. The 2026 row deliberately has no QCD figure — none has been tabled, and this app never invents one. See the full verdict in Real or Myth.