As you approach retirement, one of the most overlooked — yet potentially impactful — financial decisions you can make is when to take your final paycheck. It may not seem like a big deal, but the timing of your accrued vacation days, sick days, and any lump-sum payouts can have meaningful tax implications. The difference between taking that check in December versus January could mean thousands of dollars in your pocket — or in the IRS’s.

RMDs are the minimum amounts you must withdraw each year from your traditional IRA, 401(k), or other tax-deferred retirement accounts once you reach a certain age.

It’s worth noting that with Friday’s mess, liquidity took a bit of a hit, while inflation expectations went down. The latter is particularly interesting, given in the last tariff tiff, they went up. Seems inflation fears are fading a bit. The big swing in markets cleared out some overleveraged positions but headlines can still really swing this nervous market.