Your Money: Tax changes, temperamental markets and a Ramit Sethi meet-up

December 8, 2025

	By Tara Siegel Bernard

The big tax and policy bill signed into law earlier this year made monumental changes to the tax code, favoring the wealthy while slashing safety net programs.

But there are other tax changes coming your way from different legislation. Many of you are probably familiar with retirement “catch-up” contributions, which allow people age 50 and over to set aside extra earnings before taxes.

Starting in 2026, however, if you earn more than $150,000 in wages the prior year, catch-up contributions in workplace retirement plans must be made on a Roth basis — that means they must be deposited using money that has already been taxed, though qualifying withdrawals are tax-free.

We’ll be reporting on many of these tax tweaks early next year. Are there any other changes that you’d like to know more about — or anything else on your mind as we head into tax season?

Far more exciting than taxes, next week the Your Money team is meeting with Ramit Sethi, money expert extraordinaire. If you have any questions for him, please send them our way! Send a note to: yourmoney_newsletter@nytimes.com.

Below, find a collection of money-related stories from across The Times.

An illustration of a woman in a wheelchair holding onto a line to a kite shaped like a dollar bill.

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your money adviser

More Disabled People Can Open Special Savings Accounts. Do You Qualify?

Starting next year, people who became disabled by age 46 will be eligible for ABLE accounts. The accounts have been slow to catch on, partly because the current age limit is 26.

By Ann Carrns

Obamacare Users Will Be Asked to Pay More for Plans That Cover Less

People who have health insurance under the Affordable Care Act will face higher deductibles and higher premiums.

By Reed Abelson

In an illustration, four figures, wearing white jerseys and red pants and helmets, pull on the corners of a white net. A red arrow on the net points up and down.

Strategies

The Markets Are Temperamental. Understand Your Risks.

Shifting expectations of a Fed rate cut reflect underlying uncertainty about politics and the economy. Here are some essentials for managing risk in investing.

By Jeff Sommer

States Are Raking In Billions From Slot Machines on Your Phone

Online casinos have proved to be a much stronger source of tax revenue than sports betting apps. They may be coming to a state near you.

By Ben Blatt

Your Money Could Soon Be Tied Up in This $300 Billion Crypto Market

You can use stablecoins, which are pegged to the dollar, to buy things online or send money abroad with minimal fees — and they are subject to very little legal oversight.

By Aaron Krolik

Consumer Prices Rose Slightly in September

The most recent Personal Consumption Expenditures index was delayed because of the government shutdown.

By Talmon Joseph Smith

Blair Barondes and Janet Bowdan sitting on a red couch in front of a large trio of windows.

retiring

Should You Really Wait Till 70 to Take Social Security?

The standard advice is to hold off, but most retirees claim the benefit as soon as they can, at age 62. Here’s what to know when you’re planning the unplannable.

By Brian J. O’Connor

Steven Kurutz looking down at a smartphone he is holding with both hands.

Medicare Scammers Are Calling Seniors 50 Times a Day, Trying to Trap Them

Complaints about the calls have risen, and some older Americans have discovered that their Medicare accounts were already compromised.

By Nick Keppler

President Trump, behind a lectern, reaches out to shake hands with Susan Dell. Michael Dell stands between them.

Giving Money Directly to Children Is an Idea the Right and Left Could Love

Michael and Susan Dell’s $6.25 billion donation to child savings accounts fits a trend: giving with no strings attached. In some ways, it’s a bipartisan philosophy.

By Nicholas Kulish

Michael Dell sitting behind a name card, a glass of water and a microphone on a table.

Michael and Susan Dell to Put $250 in 25 Million Children’s Accounts

The tech billionaire and his wife hope other philanthropists follow their $6 billion lead in expanding the reach of soon-to-be-created “Trump accounts.”

By Nicholas Kulish

Shoppers Turn to Discounts and Debt, but Not Just for Holidays

Consumers are focusing on value and financing purchases to complete their shopping lists.

By Emmett Lindner

Three men picking up papers displayed on a table.

Private Employers Cut Jobs in November, the Latest Sign of a Slowdown

Data from ADP, a payroll processor, is getting added attention because of delays in official statistics caused by the government shutdown.

By Ben Casselman

A person in blue uniform, glasses, and blue gloves looks at a document. Another person in a denim jacket is seen from behind.

Traveling Without a Real ID? That’ll Cost You $45.

As of February, passengers without the government-approved identity card will be required to pay for alternative screening at U.S. airports.

By Christine Chung

For ‘No Tax on Tips,’ the I.R.S. Gets Intimate

The Trump administration wants to exclude earnings from “pornographic activity” from a new tax break for tips. Will the I.R.S. know it when it sees it?

By Andrew Duehren

Kim Batten stands at home wearing a dark trench coat.

A Surprise When Your Package Arrives: You Have to Pay the Tariff

The end of a tariff exemption on goods worth $800 or less has left some U.S. shoppers with an extra shipping bill that must be paid before delivery.

By Peter Eavis

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