If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

Pssssst—there’s truly no better time to stockpile your skincare collection than right now. In case you haven’t heard, Amazon has discounted an incredible amount of products for Prime Day; you’ll basically be saving money by spending money this week. While more is yet to come (Prime Day will take place on October 11 and October 12), don’t wait to jump on some of the retailer’s top-sellers, like RoC’s Retinol Correxion Eye Cream that’s currently 41 percent off. 

There’s a reason the treatment is a number one seller with over 18,000 perfect ratings: Reviewers say the fast-acting formula provides ‘truly impressive’ results on even their deepest, most stubborn wrinkles. That’s not all—it also combats dark circles and puffiness so well, shoppers are forgoing concealer applications. 

Courtesy of Amazon

“Best eye cream I’ve ever tried, hands down,” said one. “I’ve tested a bunch and this one doesn’t burn my skin and I feel like it has helped fade wrinkles and keep skin hydrated. I’m 29 and started seeing soft shallow lines on the corners of my eyes a couple of years ago—I can’t find those lines anymore, after a year of using this.”

The anti-aging treatment leans on RoC’s own retinol complex to provide “dramatic results” while remaining gentle on the delicate area around the eyes. According to the brand, the dermatologist-tested cream has been clinically proven to visibly brighten and plump tired eyes within four weeks of use. What’s more, it’s perfectly safe for use on sensitive skin, since it’s non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic. 

Just take more of its fan’s words for it: “This has been the only product which has been able to impact my baggie under-eyes,” said one. “After many years of allergies, little sleep, lots of sun, and basically not taking care of my skin, I started using products to try to deal with the bags under my eyes. I figured after years of damage and carelessness, it would take years to make a difference with any over-the-counter product. Surprisingly, my wife and I noticed a tightening of the skin under my eyes within the first couple of weeks.”

RELATED: This Fast-Acting Cream Transforms Aging Skin So Well, Shoppers Are Skipping Foundation

Pair the firming eye treatment with other bestsellers from the brand, including the Sarah Jessica Parker-loved hyaluronic acid moisturizer and night serum capsules. With all three in your arsenal, you’ll no doubt have the perfect nighttime routine down. 

The RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream is down to just $17 ahead of Prime Day.

More Early Prime Day 2022 Deals to Shop: 

• The Vibrator That Shoppers Say ‘Makes Your Soul Leave Your Body’ Has a Major Early Prime Day Discount
• This Oil From Amazon Regrows Overplucked, Thinning Eyebrows in a Week & It’s 52% Off Ahead of Prime Day
• This Is Not a Drill: Le Creuset Cookware Is 31% Off Ahead of Amazon Prime Day

With today’s complex tax rules, taxes in retirement can be a nightmare. Retirement accounts come with many tax traps that even the most careful investors may fail to see. Therefore, it shouldn’t be a shock that some retirees might be paying more taxes than necessary. Now that you have put together your retirement nest egg, it’s time to verify that you aren’t giving Uncle Sam more than you owe.

To help you evaluate your taxes in retirement, here are some of the most asked questions I get as a financial planner about taxes in retirement. Use this blog as a tool to see how much you understand about your current or future tax situation.

Will My Tax Rate Be Lower in Retirement?

Many people make their retirement plans with the idea that they will fall into a lower tax bracket once they hit retirement. But this isn’t usually the case for the following reasons:

There Are Fewer Tax Deductions Available

Retirees’ homes are usually paid off so there’s no mortgage interest deduction. Most retirees don’t have any kids to claim as dependents or retirement account contributions to reduce their income. Therefore, almost all of a retiree’s income will be taxable during retirement.

Enjoying Retirement Costs Money

If you are newly retired, you may want to travel and do hobbies that you didn’t have time to do before. Depending on your travel and hobby expenses, your income might be the same as it was pre-retirement.

Future Taxes Might Be Higher Than They Are Today

Considering today’s political climate and growing national debt, future tax rates may be higher than they are today.

How Will My Social Security Benefits Be Taxed?

There’s a good chance that you will not owe any taxes in retirement if Social Security is your only source of income. However, if you have other sources of income, a portion of your Social Security benefits may be taxable. More than half of Social Security beneficiaries pay some tax on their benefits.

The amount of your taxable Social Security benefits depends on your total income or the sum of:

• 50% of your Social Security benefits;
• Your adjusted gross income (AGI), which is your total income minus your deductions and exclusions;
• Tax-exempt interest income, such as municipal bond interest.

How Much Can I Contribute to My IRA During Retirement?

Retirees can contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA if they earn money from a job. Anyone over 50 years old can contribute up to $7,000 to an IRA for 2022. However, you can’t contribute more than what you have earned to your IRA account.

Will I be Taxed on My Roth IRA Withdraws?

Unlike a traditional IRA or 401(k), Roth IRA contributions are paid upfront and are tax-free once you retire. However, it is essential to understand that you must be over age 59.5 and have held the account for at least five years before making tax-free withdrawals.

Will I be Taxed for Rolling Over Contributions from a 401(k) to an IRA?

If you complete the rollover following the IRS guideline, no tax will be imposed. There are two ways to process a tax-free rollover from a 401(k) plan to a traditional IRA:

#1: You Can Withdraw Funds from Your 401(k), Then Deposit It into Your IRA

Once you have withdrawn money from your 401(k), you have 60 days to deposit the funds into the IRA account. I usually don’t suggest this route for most clients because if you miss the 60-day deadline, the withdrawn funds will be considered taxable income. In addition, exceeding the time limit can impose a 10% early withdrawal penalty if you are not at least 59.5 years old.

#2: You Can Do a Direct Rollover

In a direct rollover, the custodian or plan administrator transfers the funds from one account to another. Since no money is placed in your hands, there’s no withholding or early withdrawal penalty.

Do I Get Taxed on My Annuity Income?

The portion of the annuity disbursement that represents your initial investment (your principal) is tax-free, but the rest is at your ordinary income tax rate. For example, if your initial investment is $100,000 and you receive $20,000 per year for the next 10 years (or $200,000 total), 50% of each payment will be taxable. The insurance company that sold you the annuity will be able to tell you how much taxes you owe.

If you bought an annuity using pre-tax funds (such as a traditional IRA), 100% of your disbursement will be taxed at your ordinary income rate. Please be aware that you will be taxed at your income rate, not at the desirable capital gains rate.

What Is the Age for Starting RMDs?

Generally, those with traditional IRAs and 401(k) accounts are required to start taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) at age 72. If you have already started withdrawing money from your retirement accounts, you can skip the next two sections about RMDs.

As for the amount you are required to withdraw: Your RMD rate will likely start at about 3.65% of your account value and will continue to increase every year. To figure out your RMD withdrawal percentage check out this RMD calculator.

How Do I Calculate My RMD if I Have Multiple Retirement Accounts?

If you have multiple traditional IRAs, RMDs must be calculated separately for each IRA but can be withdrawn from any of your IRA accounts. In contrast, if you have several 401(k) accounts, your RMD must be calculated for each 401(k) account and withdrawn separately from each account.

For this reason, 401(k) administrators may calculate your RMD and automatically send it to you if you haven’t withdrawn the funds by a specific date.

What Is the Due Date for My First RMD?

Normally, the requirement is to take RMDs at the end of each year after you turn 72. However, for your first RMD, you don’t have to make a withdrawal until April 1st of the year after you turn 72. If you delay the first withdrawal until April 1st, you’ll have to make a second distribution by end of the year.

Since you will be paying taxes for two RMDs in one year, you will have to be careful to ensure that you don’t bump into a higher tax bracket.

Are Life Insurance Proceeds Taxable?

If a loved one dies and you get a big life insurance payout, you will not have to pay taxes on the money as a beneficiary.

Will I Owe Estate Taxes?

If the value of your estate is less than $12.06 million, the 2022 threshold amount, then there is no federal estate tax due. As a result, estate taxes aren’t an issue for many families. The 2017 estate tax reform doubled the threshold temporarily. However, it is likely to drop back to $5 million in 2026.

Even though you may not have any federal estate taxes, you might owe state estate taxes instead. Twelve states and the District of Columbia charge state estate taxes and six states impose inheritance taxes.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How are you preparing for taxes during retirement? What are you most worried about when it comes to taxes in retirement? Taxes in retirement can be complicated, is there anything that you are interested to know?

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

Youth to the People’s first fragrance started as just as DM exchange between co-founder Greg Gonzalez and Carina Chaz, DedCool CEO and founder. The Los Angeles-based brands worked for two years to create a fragrance everyone would love and would appeal to both of their customers. The finished product: YTTP x DedCool Cosmic Release Eau De Parfum, available for purchase today.

“Cosmic Release is for everyone, carefully composed and thoughtfully made,” says Carina Chaz, DedCool CEO and founder, in a statement. “It’s inspired by the vastness of realizing your own potential.” Adds Greg Gonzalez, co-founder of Youth To The People: “Notes of violet leaf, amber and cedar harmonize to create a sublime sensorial experience designed to help elevate your headspace and allow you to rise to your highest self.”

The brands used ethically sourced vegan fragrance extracts, glass and reusable materials for packaging, focusing on their shared passion for sustainability.

Youth to the People.

The scent is for all genders and all types of fragrance wearers. It has top notes of violet, jasmine and rosemary, middle notes of amyis, cyprio and vetiver and bottom notes of amber, cedar and patchouli for a balanced scent.

“I’ve been a fan of DedCool since the start,” Gonzalez says. “Their fragrances showcase a freedom of creative expression that takes them beyond scent to an intentional way of life, and their approach aligns with what and how we do what we do at Youth To The People.” Adds Chaz: “We could not be more excited in sharing our first-ever fragrance collaboration with our amazing friends at Youth To The People. This is the launch of our dreams.”

Grab Cosmic Release at Youth to the People and DedCool’s websites now. It’s limited-release so don’t wait too long!

I love hummus. It’s a great snack that’s flavorful and nutritious. Unfortunately, store-bought hummus will often turn out very high in oil/fat. I don’t want that, so I started making my own. The recipe I will share with you today is very basic, which means you can make it as versatile as you like by adding ingredients that suit your palate.  

I love hummus that’s very lemony, so when I make it, I add extra lemon juice plus a few drops of lemon essential oil. If you like it to be very garlicy, you can add extra raw garlic. For a milder garlic flavor use roasted garlic instead.

Here’s how to make it in about 10 minutes.

Preparation:

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas or garbanzo beans plus about half the canning liquid

Juice from 1-2 lemons (depending on your preferred taste)

5-10 peeled garlic cloves

1/3 cup of tahini*

¼ cup olive oil

½ tsp salt

*Tahini is available at most grocery stores. Keep it in the refrigerator after opening it. It is made from ground sesame seeds. If you can’t find tahini, you can use peanut butter as a substitute.

Directions:

Get out your food processor or blender. Open the can of garbanzo beans/chickpeas and drain about half the liquid out, then dump the rest into the food processor. Squeeze in the juice from a whole lemon.

Drop in the garlic cloves and tahini and add the olive oil. Sprinkle a little salt. Then run the food processor or blender for about 2 minutes. Adjust salt to taste and voila! Super easy.

Adding Variety

Of course, you can buy dried chickpeas and use them instead of the canned variety. If you use the dried beans, soak 1 ¼ lb of them over night in a pot of water. Drain them and put in 7 cups fresh water. Bring pot to a boil then reduce to simmer for 1-2 hours until you get the texture you prefer.

The fun and creative part with hummus is that you can add things to your basic recipe – if you want. Get creative and see how the taste changes and which one you prefer. As I mentioned, I add lemon oil to mine. You can toss in a few roasted red peppers or roasted eggplant.

You can make the hummus spicey by adding a jalapeno pepper. Sprinkle in some dried cumin. I even put some pesto into the last batch I made, just to see what it would be like. Just think of hummus as the base and try out adding other flavors to it for a fun spread or dip for crackers, vegetables, or pita bread.

Try it and enjoy your delicious snack.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What’s your favorite snack? Do you prepare your own, or do you buy from the store? Do you like hummus? Are you a person who likes to experiment and add variety to your meals/snacks by trying out substituting/adding ingredients?

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

When you’re coming out of a brisk winter, your skin doesn’t magically stop getting dry and dehydrated just because it’s spring. Leave it to one special powerhouse skincare ingredient to nurse your skin back to health. Everyone could benefit from some hyaluronic acid action in their skincare routine, regardless of the climate or season. It’s the type of ingredient that shows skin-altering changes year-round. However, not all hyaluronic acid-packed products are made the same.

In comes L’Oréal’s Revitalift Derm Intensives Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum to rescue your skin from whatever drought it’s been in. Our skincare bestie, hyaluronic acid, has more benefits than we can count. It hydrates, plumps and minimizes the appearance of wrinkles. That’s why this powerful ingredient is commonly associated with anti-aging. Plus, the serum is 39 percent off ahead of Amazon Prime Day.

After just one week of rubbing this face serum on night and day, your wrinkles should look less noticeable, your skin should be firmer and your skin tone should appear brighter, according to the brand. With a 4.5-star rating on Amazon, there are thousands and thousands of shoppers who can confirm the amazing results this formula provides.

“I feel I look five years younger. My complexion is incredible,” raved one reviewer who gave the product a perfect five-star rating. “Can’t imagine going without this product ever again. Unbelievable product!”

If your complexion has been craving intense, deep hydration, let L’Oréal’s hyaluronic acid serum sink into your skin. 

RELATED: The 6 Most Life-Changing Vitamin C Serums With Hyaluronic Acid—All Under $30 on Amazon 

Photo: L’Oréal.

We already have hyaluronic acid in our skin, so getting a boost from an HA-infused serum only increases our face’s hydration levels. And as we all know, hydrated skin leads to a soft, plump, younger-looking complexion. This formula mixes low-molecular and high-molecular-weight HA for intense hydration. Once you cover your skin in this product, you’ll understand why. 

The best part about this lightweight hyaluronic acid serum is that it moisturizes without leaving your skin all greasy. It absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave behind a tacky feeling or residue. Because of this, you can also wear this serum as a primer under your makeup. 

“Today as I was putting on my makeup I noticed the mirror looked airbrushed. So I decided to do a one-week contrast and my jaw hit the floor,” wrote one five-star reviewer. “I can’t believe this drugstore serum outperformed a two hundred dollar high-end product. I wish I had started using this 20 years ago!”

It’s also compatible with all skin types, fragrance-free and non-comedogenic. So, whether you use it for moisturizing or anti-aging purposes (or both), you don’t have to worry about whether it’ll mesh well with your skin.

“With just ONE use, the deep wrinkle under to eye was already significantly less visible. I am in love with this product. I’ve only been using it for a few days but I can already see the difference in my appearance and lines under and around my eyes,” wrote another shopper.

There you have it: the face serum that’s next up on your shopping list. It’s about time you try L’Oréal’s thirst-quenching hyaluronic acid serum that does nothing but good things for your skin. Cop yours for 39 percent off on Amazon.

More Early Prime Day 2022 Deals to Shop

• The Vibrator That Shoppers Say ‘Makes Your Soul Leave Your Body’ Has a Major Early Prime Day Discount
• This Oil From Amazon Regrows Overplucked, Thinning Eyebrows in a Week & It’s 52% Off Ahead of Prime Day
• This Mascara Is So Volumizing, Reviewers Warn: ‘Don’t Get Lash Extensions Before You Try This’—Snag It on Sale