Retirement planning, in plain English
Guides to the decisions that shape how long your money lasts: Social Security, taxes, your TSP, your FERS pension, and more. Free to read, no appointment required.
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Where are you right now?
The decisions with the longest lead time come first.
- Turning your savings into a retirement paycheck
- Roth conversions: pay tax now or later?
- When should you claim Social Security?
- Which account should you withdraw from first?
Timing is the question now: when income starts, and from where.
- When should you claim Social Security?
- Turning your savings into a retirement paycheck
- Medicare IRMAA: when income raises your premiums
- Before you buy an annuity, ask these nine questions
The work shifts to taxes, required withdrawals and keeping income steady.
- Required minimum distributions, explained
- How your Social Security benefits are taxed
- Which account should you withdraw from first?
- Spousal and survivor Social Security benefits
Three systems, three rulebooks. Start with the ones that cannot be undone.
- Understanding your FERS pension options
- What to do with your TSP when you retire
- Keeping your FEHB health insurance in retirement
- How FERS COLAs work, and why they differ
When should you claim Social Security?
How claiming age changes your Social Security check, what married couples miss, and how to decide between 62, full retirement age, and 70.
What to do with your TSP when you retire
Your TSP options at retirement: leave it, take installments, withdraw, roll to an IRA, or buy an annuity. What each choice means for taxes and flexibility.
Understanding your FERS pension options
How the FERS pension is calculated, what the survivor benefit costs, how sick leave counts, and what the special retirement supplement is.
Required minimum distributions, explained
What RMDs are, when they start, how they raise your taxes, and what you can do before they begin. A plain-English retirement tax guide.
Roth conversions: pay tax now or later?
How a Roth conversion works, when it can lower lifetime taxes, and the pitfalls: bracket jumps, Medicare surcharges, and the five-year rule.
Before you buy an annuity, ask these nine questions
An honest look at annuities: what they do well, what they cost, surrender charges, and the questions to ask before you sign anything.
Which account should you withdraw from first?
The order you withdraw from taxable, pre-tax, and Roth accounts changes your lifetime taxes. Learn the three buckets and how to plan around them.
Keeping your FEHB health insurance in retirement
How to keep Federal Employees Health Benefits after you retire: the five-year rule, how Medicare fits in, and the mistakes that cost retirees.
Medicare IRMAA: when income raises your premiums
IRMAA explained in plain English: how retirement income triggers higher Medicare premiums, the two-year lookback, and how to plan around it.
How your Social Security benefits are taxed
Up to 85% of your Social Security can be taxable. Learn how combined income works, the thresholds, and how withdrawals change the result.
Spousal and survivor Social Security benefits
How spousal, survivor, and divorced-spouse Social Security benefits work, who qualifies, and how they change your claiming strategy.
How FERS COLAs work, and why they differ
How cost-of-living adjustments work for FERS annuities versus Social Security, who gets them, and how to plan around inflation.
Turning your savings into a retirement paycheck
How to build a retirement income plan: cover essentials with steady income, plan for inflation and taxes, and avoid the biggest withdrawal mistakes.
Same returns. Completely different retirements.
An interactive illustration of how the order of returns, not just the average, decides whether retirement income lasts.
These guides are for general education only and are not investment, tax, or legal advice. Rules and limits change, so confirm current figures and consult your own tax advisor or attorney before acting.
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