Connect the accounts, rules, and retirement decisions.
Six source-backed guides explain how retirement accounts, early-access rules, healthcare savings, financial independence, and Social Security fit together. Time-sensitive figures are dated and linked to the responsible federal agency.
- Published
- Last reviewed
6
Guides
2026
Current limits dated
IRS + SSA
Primary sources
Start with the system
Retirement planning is more than choosing investments.
Account tax treatment, employer-plan rules, healthcare, withdrawal access, benefit timing, spending, and portfolio risk interact. Use these guides to identify the official rules and questions that need to be checked—not as individualized legal or tax advice.
Roth IRA: Contributions, Withdrawals, and the Five-Year Rule
A Roth IRA accepts nondeductible contributions and can provide tax-free qualified withdrawals, but contribution eligibility and withdrawal treatment depend on IRS rules.
Read guide401(k) Plans: Contributions, Matches, Fees, and Withdrawals
A 401(k) is an employer-sponsored retirement plan whose tax treatment, match, investments, fees, vesting, loans, and distribution options depend on both federal rules and the plan document.
Read guideHSA: Health Spending Today and Long-Term Planning
An HSA is a tax-favored account available to eligible people with qualifying high-deductible health coverage; contributions, qualified expenses, and insurance eligibility each follow separate rules.
Read guideFIRE: Building a Plan for Financial Independence
FIRE—financial independence, retire early—is a planning approach built around spending, saving, investing, taxes, healthcare, and flexible access to money rather than a guaranteed withdrawal formula.
Read guideRule of 55: The Separation-from-Service Exception
The Rule of 55 is an exception to the federal 10% additional tax for certain employer-plan distributions after separation from service; it is not a blanket rule for every retirement account.
Read guideSocial Security: Claiming Age, Earnings, and Retirement Planning
Social Security retirement benefits can generally begin between ages 62 and 70, with the monthly amount affected by claiming age, earnings history, work, and possible family or survivor benefits.
Read guideSuggested path
Accounts first, access and benefits next.
- 1. Accounts: Compare the Roth IRA, 401(k), and HSA rules.
- 2. Independence: Build FIRE around spending and resilience rather than a promised return.
- 3. Access: Understand what the Rule of 55 does—and does not—cover.
- 4. Benefits: Coordinate Social Security claiming with work, Medicare, and household benefits.