Retirement Planning Guides
Free, detailed guides on the retirement decisions that matter most. Written in plain English, grounded in actual IRS rules and tax math, not vague rules of thumb.
Military Retirement and VA Benefits in Retirement Planning
How VA disability compensation, military retirement pay, and TRICARE work in a retirement projection. Covers tax exclusions, state exemptions, SBP, and TRICARE for Life.
Modeling Future Income in Your Retirement Plan: Streams and Events
How to model rental income, home sales, inheritances, and lump sum events in a retirement projection. Covers tax treatment, MAGI impact, and how each source affects Roth conversions.
The DIY Retirement Planning Guide
A practical guide to planning your own retirement without a financial advisor. Covers the key decisions, tools, and strategies.
Pretax vs Roth 401(k): Which Is Better for You
Understand the real tradeoffs between pretax and Roth 401(k) contributions based on your tax bracket and timeline.
Roth Conversion Strategy: A Practical Guide
Learn when and how to do Roth conversions to minimize lifetime taxes. Covers conversion windows, bracket management, and IRMAA limits.
When to Claim Social Security: A Decision Framework
How to decide when to claim Social Security. Covers break-even analysis, spousal benefits, survivor benefits, and tax implications.
Understanding Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)
Everything you need to know about RMDs: when they start, how they’re calculated, the tax impact, and strategies to minimize them.
Retirement Withdrawal Strategies: Which Accounts to Tap First
A guide to tax-efficient withdrawal sequencing. Covers drawdown order, the bucket strategy, and minimizing lifetime taxes.
The Social Security Tax Torpedo: How It Works and How to Avoid It
Why an extra dollar of retirement income can effectively be taxed at 40% or more once it makes your Social Security benefits taxable, and how to plan around it.
The 0% Capital Gains Bracket in Retirement: How to Use It
How retirees can realize long-term capital gains completely tax-free by staying inside the 0% bracket, and how it interacts with Social Security and IRMAA.
Inherited IRA Rules and Strategies: The 10-Year Rule Explained
What happens to an inherited IRA under the SECURE Act 10-year rule, who is exempt, and strategies to reduce what your heirs will owe.
Moving in Retirement to Save on Taxes: What Actually Matters
How relocating to a different state really affects your retirement taxes, beyond the "no income tax" headlines, and how to model the true impact.
Sequence of Returns Risk: Why the Order of Market Returns Matters
Why the order your portfolio earns returns can matter as much as the average return, especially around retirement, and how to protect your plan.
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