Pension buyout guides
Everything you need to evaluate an offer, in plain English, from the decision framework to the tax paperwork.
Lump Sum vs. Monthly Pension: How to Decide
A plain-English decision framework for pension buyout offers: when the lump sum wins, when the monthly check wins, and the math that settles it.
9 min read · Updated 2026-08-26
How Pension Lump Sums Are Calculated (417(e) Segment Rates)
The exact mechanics behind your lump sum offer: IRS minimum present value segment rates, mortality tables, lookback months, and why higher rates mean smaller checks.
7 min read · Updated 2026-08-26
Pension Buyout Tax Rules: Rollovers, Withholding, and Penalties
How lump sum pension buyouts are taxed: the direct rollover that avoids the 20 percent withholding, the 60-day trap, early withdrawal penalties, and what stays tax-deferred.
6 min read · Updated 2026-08-26
Pension Risk Transfer: What It Means When an Insurer Takes Over Your Pension
What a pension risk transfer means for retirees: why employers hand pensions to insurance companies, what changes for your check, and what happens to PBGC protection.
7 min read · Updated 2026-08-26
12 Questions to Ask Before Accepting a Pension Buyout
The exact questions to put to your plan administrator, your spouse, and yourself before signing a lump sum election, and the answers that should raise a flag.
6 min read · Updated 2026-08-26
Pension Buyout Windows and Deadlines: How They Work
Why pension buyout offers come with short windows, what the typical timeline looks like, what happens if you miss the deadline, and whether offers come back.
5 min read · Updated 2026-08-26
Is My Pension Safe? PBGC and State Guaranty Protection Explained
Who stands behind your pension check: what the PBGC insures, what it does not, and what protects you after a pension moves to an insurance company.
6 min read · Updated 2026-08-26
How to Roll a Pension Lump Sum Into an IRA, Step by Step
The exact steps to move a pension buyout into an IRA with zero tax withheld: opening the account, the election form, the check, and the January 1099-R.
5 min read · Updated 2026-08-26
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