What a taxable index-fund account is actually worth after expense-ratio drag and after West Virginia takes its share of the gain — which, in most states, is not at the federal preferential rate.
There is no state equivalent of the federal preferential rate here — a long-term gain is charged at West Virginia's normal income brackets, exactly like wages. This is the common case, and it surprises people who assume the federal 15% carries over. Long-term capital gains are taxed as ordinary income at the graduated schedule, topping out at 4.58% for 2026. West Virginia taxable income begins from federal adjusted gross income, which already includes net capital gain, and West Virginia's increasing and decreasing modifications contain no general capital gains exclusion, no holding-period discount, and no preferential rate. The federal preferential long-term rate does not carry over. Because West Virginia's top bracket begins at only $60,000 of taxable income ($30,000 married filing separately), a retiree realizing a substantial gain will be at the top marginal rate on most of it.
What your state actually takes from a 401(k) withdrawal, a pension, and Social Security — in dollars, not a yes/no list.
2026 limits, employer match, the 60-63 super catch-up, and whether the Roth catch-up mandate applies to you.
When your RMDs start under SECURE 2.0, how much this year's is, and what missing it costs.
West Virginia charges $1,571 in state income tax on a typical retirement income, $1,508 in property tax on its median home and $2,465 in insurance — $5,544 together, which is 5th of 50.
What retiring actually costs across all fifty states in 2026 — the three lines that decide it, why ranking states by income tax gets the answer wrong, the federal rules that follow you everywhere, and the decisions that are worth real money before you move.
What moving actually saves, on your own income mix rather than a headline rate — and how to establish domicile so the state you left cannot follow you.
Which account to draw first, priced. The three cliffs a withdrawal can cross without warning, the conversion window almost nobody uses, and why the order is the last big decision you can still change.