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
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