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John in Pennsylvania doesn’t have bonds in his investment portfolio. Should he add them, and if so, where? The fellas also spitball on retirement plans for James in Tierrasanta, California, who has $4 million plus annuities, Esther in the San Francisco Bay Area, who has nearly $12M net worth, and Tiger and Lioness, who wonder about a safe level of lifestyle creep. Also, Charlie in Castlerock, Colorado asks Joe and Al to spitball on how to balance collecting Social Security with making withdrawals from his pre-tax retirement account for living expenses. Finally, a Worrywart Mom in Seattle wonders whether her 27-year-old daughter should focus on paying off her student loans or saving for the future.
Joe and Big Al spitball on paying the tax on your Roth conversions: if you take the money out of your retirement account, what does Joe mean that you’ll be “paying the tax to pay the tax to pay the tax”? Can you pay it from the Roth account itself, or from your monthly pension tax withholding? Are the fellas wrong on this whole topic altogether? They also spitball on withdrawing Roth 401(k) contributions that were rolled to an IRA, those infamous 5-year rules for withdrawals from Roth accounts, when to do Roth conversions, saving to tax-deferred, taxable, or tax-free accounts, and how long-term capital gains taxes fit into the picture. Plus, consolidating individual stock investments, the fate of the home office deduction, and what Joe thinks about the Apple Podcasts reviewer who says he’s “checked out”.
What’s a safe withdrawal rate for Wine Guy and Wine Gal in Sonoma California to have 35 years of “guaranteed” retirement spending? How aggressively should they convert their retirement savings to Roth IRA? Should the Bond family move from Silicon Valley to a no-income-tax state in retirement? Can Doc in San Francisco quit work in 8 years when his daughter starts college? Rob in Kansas City and his wife are in their late 30s and have 2 million saved. Can they retire early? Plus, Elisa in Fremont has more than the capital gains exclusion for a married couple of $500,000 worth of home equity. How much will this cost her, and will it kill her IRMAA for Medicare premiums? Should Happy Camper and Jolly Pumpkin take their pension’s monthly annuity or the lump sum payout? And finally, Lloyd in South Dakota isn’t a fan of retirement accounts and wants Joe and Big Al to talk some sense into him.
Ricochet J in Colorado and her husband want to retire as soon as humanly possible. Are they on track? Should they save their surplus funds to a brokerage account or a solo 401(k)? Plus, Micah in South Dakota wonders whether having a $40,000 a year pension is basically the same as having a million dollars in bonds, according to the four percent rule. What do Joe and Big Al think? Barney and Betty will be in the 12% or 22% marginal tax bracket, but their effective tax rate will only be between 10% and 12.4%, so how much should they convert to Roth? Are they asking the right question? Finally, Joe and Big Al spitball on ways to ensure that Amir in New Mexico has the maximum possible retirement income to last him to age 90 or 95.
Can Ted and Georgette convert $1.6M in an inherited trust to Roth without distributing it? Should the trust own their home so they can use the home equity? Melissa was added as joint owner on her parents’ bank accounts after a medical event, but what have they done? Should Ralph and Alice use the required minimum distribution from their inherited IRA to pay Roth conversion taxes? Plus, can Theodore contribute to his wife Louise’s Roth IRA? Can Marc make Roth contributions for his grandkids? Joe and Al also come up with a unique way for John to potentially pay the tax on his Roth conversion using his home equity.
When should Jack and Swan in Florida pay off their home, retire, and convert their savings to Roth for lifetime tax-free investment growth? Jennifer in Colorado wonders whether she should consider taxes when calculating her expenses and whether she should pay off her home to be debt-free in retirement? That’s today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 503 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, should Kevin in Scottsdale collect Social Security in 2025, or postpone and do Roth conversions over the next two years? Should Skipper in Texas do Roth conversions to the top of the 24% tax bracket instead of the 22? And just how closely will Big Brother watch his state of residency if Skipper buys homes in Florida and another location for his retirement? Harry Tasker in Minnesota’s wife Helen says he needs to continue working. Is that a “True Lie”? Harry asks Joe and Big Al to spitball on whether he and Helen can stay home during their go-go years. And can the Tomb Raiders afford to spend $120,000 a year in retirement?
Can Bauer in Illinois retire at age 57, and when should he collect Social Security? More importantly, can he afford a $300,000 motor home? Can Brad in Michigan coast for the next 10 years and still reach the promised land of retirement somewhere around age 53? Plus, it seems weird to Elizabeth in Connecticut that nearly all of her $5M is in taxable accounts. Is that good or bad? N&N in the San Francisco Bay Area have $10M liquid. Should they make Roth contributions and Roth conversions now, or wait until they retire?
Should Suzanne in Michigan do Roth conversions in 2025 and 2026 since she’s widowed and won’t be married filing jointly? How should she pay the tax on her conversions? Jennifer in Washington state is 55 and her husband is 70. Should she retire now and do aggressive Roth conversions before her husband passes? We’re talking about the widow’s tax, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 501. Plus, answers to questions from our YouTube viewers: what’s a brokerage account? What’s a good way to pay RMD taxes? How does the 10 year rule work on inherited IRAs? What are extended market index funds? The fellas also spitball on the 4% rule for retirement withdrawals.
Are real estate investment trust (REIT) ETFs a good way for Leon to begin investing in real estate? Can AI Seth stay retired at age 52, and should he do Roth conversions? Jenn in Ohio wants the fellas to be brutally honest about whether she should move with work, take a break, or retire now. And “George and Weezy” are in their mid-50s – can they “move on up” to a deluxe retirement lifestyle in 2026, or even earlier?
Hawkeye and Elle are age 61 and in the 32% tax bracket. How should they get money into their Roth accounts for tax-free retirement income? Clark and Ellen are 69 and 68, expenses will pretty much be covered by their fixed income, but they’d like to leave Roth money to their kids. Should they keep converting to Roth, or use required minimum distributions for their living expenses? Tom and his wife are 73, and fixed income will cover their retirement spending too. Is it advantageous to them to make three huge Roth conversions beyond their marginal tax bracket to reduce future RMDs? Should they keep things simple by leaving their money in an S&P 500 Index Fund?
Should David in Ohio use 457 funds to do an in-plan Roth conversion in his 403(b) plan, and should he hire a financial advisor? Chris in DC needs a retirement and Roth conversion spitball analysis, and he needs help getting out of a variable annuity. Kim is anxious that she made a mess of her finances and she wonders how much she should convert to Roth. Plus, what’s the best way for Alissa in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to make tax-efficient retirement withdrawals from an inherited IRA?
How much should you save in pre-tax accounts vs. post-tax accounts? Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball on the “age plus 20” rule for retirement savings, Roth 401(k) contributions and distributions, and a Social Security claiming strategy for Ralph and Marie in Wilmington, Delaware. Shawn wonders if YMYW listeners are ignoring the WEP and GPO when it comes to Social Security, that is, the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset. Plus, can Jake and Amy in Iowa retire in 5 years, or do they need to work beyond age 60? Should Edwin stop making Roth contributions and start doing Roth conversions instead? And finally, how can Jeff in North Dakota’s son qualify for the American Opportunity Tax Credit?
Joe and Big Al spitball on three different listeners’ strategies for paying the tax on a Roth conversion now, to have lifetime tax-free growth on that money in the future: should “Neo” convert to Roth at the beginning or end of the year in his plan to make quarterly estimated tax payments on his conversion? Is it a good strategy for Tim to use reimbursements from his health savings account to pay Roth conversion taxes? What do Joe and Big Al think of Samantha’s plan to convert to Roth and pay the tax with her IRA money? Plus, the fellas answer questions from our YouTube and Spotify followers on required minimum distributions from Roth accounts, reasons to put retirement withdrawals in a brokerage account instead of a Roth, choosing pension options, the difference between commercial annuities and pension annuities, and their thoughts on single premium immediate annuities (SPIA).
TJ in Louisiana has been sitting on the sidelines, but now it’s time to get into the market. Should he dollar cost average, or just go all in? Does Margaret in CA’s idea of selling a stock at a loss and buying a put option on that stock that expires after the 30-day waiting period work as a tax loss harvesting strategy? When is it worth it for Brian in Charlotte, NC to diversify beyond a basic three-fund portfolio? Should Christine in San Diego convert her variable annuity to a fixed indexed annuity? How should Dean in Columbus, GA invest inherited retirement money? Are Jen and John in CA on track for retirement, and how should they fund their home remodel? Are there any negative consequences for Steve in PA if he finds a new financial advisor just a few months after hiring his current advisor? The fellas also talk through how Chris can give money to charity from his required minimum distributions (RMDs), and finally, Terry calls in with a follow-up question about whether a solo 401(k) is an option to avoid unrelated business income tax (UBIT).
Can Alanis retire early at age 60? With Barney and Betty’s spending patterns, can they retire ASAP? Daisy and Donald need retirement income for 40 years. Can they retire now? Plus, we review the results of the 7th Annual YMYW Podcast Survey (congratulations to jemart for winning the Amazon e-gift card!) And Joe and Big Al take on some critical YouTube comments from Keith, following their interview with Ed Slott, CPA.
