Laura Saunders, When Your Bumper 401(k) Is a Tax Problem Waiting to Happen (Wall Street Journal, August 21, 2026)

Here’s a good question for mid- and late-career workers: Do your traditional 401(k) or IRA accounts hold a large portion of your retirement savings?

If the answer is yes, consider changes.

While these accounts have advantages, they also have drawbacks that could limit flexibility and raise taxes later on. Smart planning now could reduce future trouble, as long as you’re careful. 

A lot of affluent workers have outsize traditional IRAs and 401(k)s because they had no access to other tax-favored accounts, like Roth 401(k)s, when they were younger. Meanwhile, contributions to traditional accounts were often tax-deductible and came with a company match. So these accounts seemed—and often were—a better way to save for retirement than a taxable brokerage account.

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