Retirement Planning Insights is a monthly newsletter that provides practical retirement planning tips and info (and a sprinkling of random personal stuff 😁 )
VIEW 2025 EDITIONS
Topics discussed in 2025:
- Tax-related changes in 2025
- Who should consider doing Roth conversions
- How much to Roth convert in a year
- Understanding mutual fund capital gain distributions (in a normal taxable brokerage account)
- How to protect your ID and financial information
- What Tenon Financial actually does for clients
- How brokerage custodians make money
- Summary of the recently signed into law "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" and its provisions most likely to impact personal taxes for people in or near retirement
VIEW 2024 EDITIONS
Topics discussed in 2024:
- How to lower your taxes in 2024
- Understanding annuity guaranteed withdrawal riders
- The S&P 500 is not the right benchmark for you
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average should retire
- Required Minimum Distributions from inherited IRAs
- The optimal time to claim Social Security
- How Social Security is taxed
- Employer plan-to-IRA rollover pros and cons
- How to donate to charities tax-efficiently
- 9 questions to ask when interviewing financial advisors
- The accuracy of 12 common retirement planning rules of thumb and slogans
- Whether to own or rent in retirement
VIEW 2023 EDITIONS
Topics discussed in 2023:
- Retirement Planning Education
- SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022
- The basics of annuities
- After-tax "basis" in IRAs
- Bank and brokerage failures
- Capital gain income exclusion on selling your house
- Understanding step up in basis
- Spending during the three stages of retirement
- Indexed Universal Life insurance background
- How to use Indexed Universal Life insurance for retirement cash flow
- The truth behind common Indexed Universal Life Insurance sales pitches
- Is life insurance necessary in retirement?
- Return of the podcast
- Year-end tax planning tips
VIEW 2022 EDITIONS
Topics discussed in 2022:
- How to retire in 2022
- Social Security survivor benefits
- Tax return checklist and a new podcast
- The four phases of retirement
- Beware the "pro rata" rule with Roth conversions
- Managing investments for inflation
- Mutual fund capital gain distributions
- Misconceptions about bonds
- Alternatives to bonds
- Changes to RMD rules on inherited accounts?
- Investing in I Bonds
- Is the 4% Rule dead?
- What to do in bad markets
- Facebook milestone and dividend investing
- The 2022 Social Security Trustees Report
- Getting to know MAGI
- Q&A edition podcast
- Tips for retiring alone
- The value of retirement planning
- The Inflation Reduction Act
- Will you have to pay more for Medicare premiums?
- Year-end tax planning tips
- Don't give up on bonds and bond funds
- Boosting your Social Security
- Understanding Medicare
- Who to consult if you're newly widowed
- The proper names for Treasury bonds
VIEW 2021 EDITIONS
Topics discussed in 2021:
- Possible tax increases
- Planning opportunities for the possible tax increases
- The "percent of AUM" fee
- Tax-efficient charitable giving
- Retirement planning basics
- Roth conversions
- SECURE Act 2.0
- Understanding bonds
- States that tax Social Security
- How gifts are taxed
- Catching up on a retirement savings shortfall
- Net Investment Income Tax
- State tax-friendliness
- Interval funds
- Tax return season
- 20 steps to prepare for retirement
- Tax return checklist
- New Coronavirus stimulus
- Beginning of year tips
- What to do with employer savings plan after retiring
- Taxes on rental properties
- Portfolio diversification
- Tax planning podcasts
- The 4% rule
- Year-end tax planning
VIEW 2020 EDITIONS
Topics discussed in 2020:
- The SECURE Act
- Annuities explained
- How advisers can add value
- The 3 stages of retirement
- Tax returns
- Social Security's future
- COVID-19 update
- The CARES Act
- Estate planning overview
- Retirement planning podcasts
- After-tax vs Roth 401(k)'s
- COVID-19 and Social Security
- Health insurance before Medicare
- Social Security widow(er) underpayments
- Widow(er) tax penalty
- Preparing for an (unexpected) early retirement
- Mutual funds vs ETFs
- Asset-based fee models are lazy and flawed
- How advisors are paid
- Hello TERP
- Biden's tax proposals
- Exceptions to the 10% IRA early withdrawal penalty
- Possible IRA and retirement plan changes
- Medicare premium surcharges
- The pandemic's impacts on retirement planning
- Year-end tax planning
View 2019 Editions
Topics discussed in 2019:
- Medicare open enrollment
- Roth conversions
- 403(b) investigations
- Social Security spousal benefits
- RMD changes
- 401(k) and 403(b) rollovers
- The SECURE Act