For retirees who give to charity regularly, the method of giving matters as much as the amount. The same $10,000 donated in the least tax-efficient way and the most tax-efficient way may produce identical benefit…
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How Required Minimum Distributions Can Disrupt Your Retirement Plan
Required minimum distributions are one of the few elements of a retirement plan that arrive on a fixed government schedule regardless of what you prefer. At age 73, the IRS requires you to begin withdrawing…
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Tax Brackets in Retirement: Why They Matter More Than You Think
During your working years, your taxable income is largely determined by your employer. Your salary is what it is. Your bonus arrives when it does. Your tax bracket is mostly a consequence of your compensation…
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Roth Conversions in Retirement: The Multi-Year Strategy Most Retirees Miss
A Roth conversion is conceptually straightforward: you move money from a pre-tax traditional IRA or 401(k) into a Roth IRA, pay ordinary income tax on the converted amount now, and eliminate future tax on that…
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What Actually Matters More Than Market Performance in Retirement
Retirement planning conversations tend to focus on returns. What did the market do this year? What is the portfolio up or down? How does performance compare to a benchmark? These are natural questions, and they…
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What Is IRMAA—and How Do You Avoid It in Retirement?
Most people planning for retirement have never heard of IRMAA. Then they retire, take a large IRA distribution or complete a Roth conversion, and receive a letter from Medicare informing them that their premiums are…
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Coordinating Social Security With Portfolio Withdrawals
Most retirement income conversations treat Social Security and portfolio withdrawals as separate topics. You figure out when to claim Social Security, and separately you figure out how much to withdraw from your IRA or 401(k)….
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Capital Gains, Ordinary Income, and Your Retirement Tax Puzzle
Two retirees. Same portfolio size. Same lifestyle spending. Wildly different tax bills. If that sounds like an exaggeration, it is not. One of the least-discussed realities of retirement taxation is that identical income levels can…
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Why Roth Conversions Belong in Your Retirement Tax Plan
Most people associate Roth conversions with their working years—converting traditional IRA money to a Roth while still earning a paycheck. And while that can be a sound strategy, it overlooks something important: for many retirees,…
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Which Retirement Accounts Should You Spend From First?
Most retirees have their savings spread across several different types of accounts: a taxable brokerage account, one or more traditional IRAs or 401(k)s, and perhaps a Roth IRA. When it comes time to generate income,…
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