"New" Rules around 401K Catch-Up Contributions

A rule changed on January first that takes the tax deduction away from catch-up contributions for a lot of people who are still working. We'll run through all the 2026 numbers and talk about whether it's still worth doing.

In our Listener Question segment, a fellow in Connecticut is worried that the low-income window he's been counting on for Roth conversions may never show up, because his wife is a high earner four years younger than he is. He's come up with a clever workaround.

And to close out the show we hear from a retired HR Manager. After building a successful career, he found a meaningful way to give back through Reading Partners, serving as a remote reading tutor for students who need extra support.

Resources:

• Article by Amy Arnott in MorningStar: Should Higher Earners Still Make 401(k) Catch‑Up Contributions?  
• Reading Partners: https://readingpartners.org

Connect with Benjamin Brandt:

• Subscribe to the This Week in Retirement: http://thisweekinretirement.com
• Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com
• Work with Benjamin: https://retirementstartstoday.com/start

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