Last year, when I took a required minimum distribution from my 403(b) account, I was charged a $50 fee. I understand being charged for other withdrawals but not for government-mandated RMDs. Is this legal?

Unfortunately, while this charge is neither employee- nor retiree-friendly, it’s legal under federal law, says St. Louis attorney Jerry Schlichter. He should know; his firm has filed more than 30 lawsuits alleging that other types of plan fees are excessive.

More bad news: That $50 charge is not only legal but is also commonplace. Twenty-two percent of 403(b) plans and 56 percent of 401(k) plans charge a fee for retirement plan distributions, according to the Plan Sponsor Council of America; the median charge for both types of accounts is $50.

So what to do? If your former employer won’t drop the fee based on complaints from you and other retirees, you could roll your 403(b) over to an IRA at a brokerage that doesn’t charge for taking RMDs. If you go that route, however, don’t do anything that will end up costing you more than the fees you’ll be saving on future withdrawals—for example, if you’d have to pay a big surrender charge on a variable annuity. To avoid the possibility of a big tax bill for a switch, do what’s called a direct rollover to an IRA. And make sure that the investments available in the new IRA carry fees, or expense ratios, no higher than those of the investments you’re in right now.

Every year our house insurance goes up. We own our home with no mortgage, and we have savings. We’re in our 70s. Is there a case in which not buying homeowners insurance makes sense?

Here’s the case, say financial planners: First, if your house burns down, you have enough money to rebuild it, replace your possessions and live elsewhere in the meantime. Second, if someone trips and falls on your property, you can cover your liability if you’re sued.

“This is called self-insurance,” explains Ralph Bender, CEO of Enduring Wealth Advisors in Temecula, California. “If you’ve got savings with more zeros than the cost of replacing the house, you’re possibly candidates for self-insurance. But if your savings and your home value are in the same range, I’d think twice about doing that.” A better idea would be to raise your policy’s deductible, thus insuring only more substantial damages.