The library
Retirement guides in everyday language
Every guide here sticks to one decision. You'll see how it works and what it costs, and we'll tell you when it isn't a good idea. Start with whatever's closest to where you are.
Rollovers
Moving money out of an old 401(k) or between IRAs without tax surprises.
2 guides
- Direct Rollover vs. Indirect Rollover vs. Transfer: Moving Retirement Money Tax-FreeDirect rollovers, 60-day rollovers, and trustee-to-trustee transfers compared: the 20% withholding gap, the once-a-year rule, and the tax forms you'll get.
- What to Do With an Old 401(k): Your Four ChoicesLeave it, roll it to an IRA, move it to a new plan, or cash out. What each choice costs in fees and taxes, and which trade-offs matter for your old 401(k).
Gold IRAs
How they work, what they really cost, and how to avoid the bad deals.
10 guides
- Coins vs. Bullion: What You're Actually BuyingThe difference between bullion and premium or proof coins, how markups over spot work, and why the product you pick moves your break-even point.
- Free Gold IRA Kit: What Happens After You Request OneWhat really follows a gold IRA kit request, step by step: the phone call, the paperwork, funding, buying metal, storage, and how to say no at any point.
- Gold IRA Fees, Line by LineEvery cost of a gold IRA, from setup and storage fees to the dealer markup nobody lists, with a worked $100,000 example and the questions to ask.
- Gold IRA vs. Gold ETF vs. Physical Gold: Which Way to Own Gold?Physical gold in a self-directed IRA or a gold ETF in a regular IRA? Compare cost, liquidity, ownership, and hassle to see which one suits you.
- How Much Gold Should Be in a Retirement Portfolio?There's no single right amount of gold for retirement. See what history shows, how fees hit small holdings, and how to work out your own number.
- How to Choose a Gold IRA Company: 10 Questions to AskTen questions to put to any gold IRA company, the red flags that should make you pause, and free ways to check a company's record before you move savings.
- How to Roll Over a 401(k) or IRA Into a Gold IRA, Step by StepEvery step of a gold IRA rollover in order: eligibility, picking a custodian, direct transfers, buying metal, tax forms, and how long it takes.
- Silver IRA: How It Works, What It Costs, and Who It SuitsHow a silver IRA works: which silver qualifies, how money gets in, why storage costs more relative to value, the fees and taxes, and who should skip it.
- What Is a Gold IRA? How It Works, What It Costs, and the RulesHow a gold IRA really works: who holds the metal, which coins and bars qualify, how money gets in, and where Roth and traditional accounts differ.
- When a Gold IRA Is Not a Good FitA gold IRA is the wrong call for some savers. See when costs, timing, or risk work against you, and the simpler ways to own gold instead.
Physical gold & silver
Buying, choosing, and storing metal you hold yourself, outside an IRA.
4 guides
- Buying Physical Gold Outside an IRA: How It Works and What It CostsBuying gold coins and bars with regular savings: spot price and premiums, how you pay, shipping, taxes, picking a dealer, and the scams aimed at retirees.
- Gold Bars vs. Gold Coins: Premiums, Storage, and ResaleGovernment-minted gold coins vs. private-mint gold bars: price per ounce, resale, assay cards and serial numbers, IRA eligibility, and how to dodge fakes.
- Gold vs. Silver for Retirement: Volatility, Costs, and UsesGold and silver get sold side by side, but they don't act alike. Compare price swings, industrial demand, premiums, storage bulk, IRA purity rules, and the ratio.
- Where to Store Physical Gold and Silver: Home Safe, Bank Box, or DepositoryHome safe, bank safe deposit box, or private depository? How each handles insurance, access, and fees, plus the IRS rules that apply when your metal sits in an IRA.
Markets & the economy
Inflation, the dollar, and crises: what the record shows, without the sales pitch.
4 guides
- Does Gold Protect Against Inflation? What the Record ShowsGold gets sold as an inflation hedge. Here we check how it really did in the 1970s, from 1980 to 2001, in 2021 and 2022, and over the long run.
- Gold, the Dollar, and Inflation: Separating Facts From Sales PitchesHas the dollar really lost 97% of its value? What that claim gets right, what it leaves out, and which phrases in gold ads deserve a second look.
- Is Gold a Safe Haven? How Gold Has Behaved in CrisesGold gets called a safe haven. We checked what it did in every year U.S. stocks fell since 1972, in 2008, 2020, and 2022, and when it fell too.
- Why Central Banks Are Buying Gold, and What It Means for YouCentral banks bought over 1,000 tonnes of gold a year from 2022 to 2024. Why they say they buy, what the dollar data show, and what it means for you.
Planning for retirement
What to check in the years before you stop working.
3 guides
- Retirement Planning Checklist: What to Check 5 Years Before You RetireFive years out is the right time to take stock. A calm, ten-item checklist: accounts, Social Security, health coverage, catch-up savings, and beneficiaries.
- Retirement Planning in Your 50s: The Moves That Matter MostYour 50s give you more ways to boost retirement savings than any other decade. Catch-up limits, job changes, Social Security, health coverage, and a checklist.
- Sequence of Returns Risk: What a Market Drop Near Retirement MeansWhy a market drop hurts more right before or after you retire, shown with a simple example, plus practical ways to prepare without predicting markets.
Withdrawals
Required withdrawals, taxes, and taking money out the right way.
2 guides
- How to Sell Gold or Take It Out of an IRAHow selling metal inside a gold IRA works, what buyback spreads cost, how in-kind distributions are taxed, and how RMDs work when your IRA holds gold.
- Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): Age, Rules, and DeadlinesWhen RMDs start, how the amount is figured, which accounts can be combined, what a missed RMD costs, and how giving to charity from an IRA can help.