Retirement Answers

Roth conversions might be causing you to pay more in taxes compared to simply not doing any Roth conversions. In this episode, I explain how RMDs and your future tax rate could be much lower than the tax rate you would pay today on any Roth conversions you do. Roth is great, but it isn't always better. 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ If you want the Important...

Trying to figure out how to plan for travel expenses in retirement? That's the question that I address on this week's Friday Q&A. I share a few things to consider as you plan how much you are going to spend on travel in retirement. 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ If you want the Important Numbers 2025 PDF, send me an email! Submit your question to have it...

What if you could do a Roth conversion completely tax-free? Would you even believe me if I said this was possible? In this episode, I share how you can use a charitable gifting strategy in tandem with your Roth conversions to eliminate the taxes on the conversion. It's like magic, but it's not... It's just strategy! 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ If you want...

Long-term care planning is difficult to figure out. There is no "right" way to do it because some prefer to self insure while others prefer to purchase insurance. In this Friday Q&A, I address Theresa's question about long-term care planning and how I think about it. 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ If you want the Important Numbers 2025 PDF, send me an em...

The stock market might be taking a hit, but that doesn't mean there aren't opportunities out there. In fact, it's times like these the top 1% make the smartest moves. In this episode, I share 3 opportunities that you can take advantage of during market crashes. 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ If you want the Important Numbers 2025 PDF, send me an email! Submi...

You've been investing throughout your entire career and trying to grow your portfolio so you are ready for retirement. But what happens to your investments when get to retirement? Should you make a bunch of changes? Should you be more conservative? Join me as I discuss how to approach investing during retirement and a few different things you need to consider. 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.r...

The fear and unknowns of retirement make it hard for most retirees to spend confidently. In fact, I think spending with confidence in retirement might be the hardest thing to do.  Will you run out of money? Are you spending too much? What if the market crashes and you never recover? All of the "what ifs" lead to under spending in the prime retirement years and dying with more money than you starte...

What happens if the market goes down dramatically right when I retire? That's a big question on most retirees & pre-retirees minds, so in this episode, I walk through how you can combat this risk and what you should do to be prepared. 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ If you want the Important Numbers 2025 PDF, send me an email! Submit your question to have...

In this episode, I share the two Roth IRA 5-year rules that you should know about. Additionally, I provide a HUGE tip that will help you out when doing Roth conversions in retirement. (Most people don't know this) 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ If you want the Important Numbers 2025 PDF, send me an email! Submit your question to have it answered on the podca...

If you can have these 6 things figured out by the time you are 60, your retirement will be that much more successful and enjoyable. 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ If you want the Important Numbers 2025 PDF, send me an email! Submit your question to have it answered on the podcast: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/questions Email: jacob@rivertreewealth.com Web...

If you aren't paying attention, a huge tax bomb could arise later in retirement. This tax bomb comes in the form of RMDs... But finding ways to minimize your RMDs will help lower your lifetime tax bill.  Most people only look at RMDs at surface level, but these forced distributions impact other items such as Social Security taxation and IRMAA, to name a couple. 👉 Book a call with me: https://www....

As you approach retirement, you likely want to have everything planned out perfectly...  When you are going to start taking Social Security? When to do Roth conversions? How to use tax-gain harvesting? What your portfolio allocation should be? And so on The good news is you aren't alone in your desire to have it all figured out before you jump in retirement, but here's the bad news... You're plan...

Do you ever wonder what you might be missing as you plan for retirement? There's so much to think about and plan for that certain things can easily slip through the cracks. In this episode, I share 5 hidden costs that catch retirees off-guard based on what my clients have told me. 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ If you want the Important Numbers 2025 PDF, sen...

The Backdoor Roth might be the greatest tax loophole for high income individuals… But 99% of people have no idea how to do it correctly. So, in this episode, I’m going to tell you exactly how to do a backdoor Roth contribution without messing it up. 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ If you want the Important Numbers 2025 PDF, send me an email! Submit your quest...

Taxes could very easily be your largest expense in retirement. So, having a strategic tax plan might prove to be the most important thing you can do. In this episode, I share 6 common tax mistakes retirees make around withdrawals, Roth conversions, capital gains, & Social Security. 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ If you want the Important Numbers 2025 PDF...

Wait... You're telling me I can sell $126k of gains in my brokerage account and pay no tax on those gains? Yes! (And the best part is... it's legal) Join me as I share how tax-gain harvesting works so you can learn how to implement this tax savings strategy yourself. 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ If you want the Important Numbers 2025 PDF, send me an email!...

How do you know if your retirement plan is good or not? And what are the different things you need to include in your plan? That's what I discuss in this episode because I share 6 things that every good retirement plan includes. 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ If you want the Important Numbers 2025 PDF, send me an email! Email: jacob@rivertreewealth.com Websi...

As you prepare for you upcoming retirement, there a few thing you can do to give you the best chance at the retirement of your dreams. In this episode, I share 5 things (plus a bonus tip) that you should BEFORE you retire to help you make the most of your new adventure and rest at night knowing your money is taken care of. Enjoy! 👉 Book a call with me: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started...

There are plenty of mistakes that can be made when planning for retirement, so I want to warn you about 8 common mistakes that I see. We will talk about the importance of knowing your true spending number, understanding the impact of inflation on retirement spending, balancing investment strategies, planning for taxes, timing Social Security, evaluating the need for Roth conversions, preparing for...

👉 Book a call with me 👉 https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started __________________________________ ✅ If you want the Important Numbers 2025 PDF, send me an email! Email: jacob@rivertreewealth.com Website: https://www.rivertreewealth.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobduke Social Security taxation is confusing for most... "Am I being taxed on my Social Security benefits?" "WHY am...

In this episode of the Friday Q&A, Jacob discusses a listener's dilemma of choosing between taking a lump sum or opting for a monthly pension in retirement. With a detailed inquiry involving health concerns, survivor benefits, and financial flexibility, the discussion delves into various factors such as fixed income, monthly expenses, Social Security benefits, and personal circumstances like e...

Still trying to figure out when you are going to retire? Do you have a specific age in mind? It can be hard to decide and then actually go through with it because of the unknown and the "what-ifs" of retirement. But the biggest "what-if" in my opinion isn't what could go wrong in retirement... The biggest "what-if" is getting to the end of your life wishing you would have retired sooner so you cou...

In this Friday Q&A, we tackle a common question from a soon-to-be retiree who is anxious about taking the leap into retirement despite strong financial standing. Discover the psychological challenges and mindset shifts necessary for a smooth transition into retirement. Need help planning for retirement? 👉 Get started today: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started -------------------------...

When you turn 73 or 75, you will be required to begin taking money from your tax-deferred IRAs, 401ks, 403bs, etc. This is through what is called Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). While RMDs aren't the worst thing ever, they can create some tax issues in the future if you don't plan accordingly. In this epsiode, I share 5 ways you can lower your RMDs to minimize their negative tax impact in t...

In the first episode of the Friday Q&A series,I address a viewer's question about whether to pay off their house before retirement. The husband is close to retirement and considers using his ESOP to pay off their recently purchased home. I discuss the pros and cons of this decision, including tax implications and the importance of maintaining liquidity. The episode offers valuable insights for...