This week on the Tax-free Retirement Show, we dive into 7 critical Social Security updates, 7 unique claiming strategies, and a case study demonstrating how to potentially get your social security tax-free, reduce stress on your other retirement assets, get more enjoyment from retirement, and leave an impactful legacy.

Ernst and Young (EY) recently did a landmark study showing how the judicious addition of Index Universal Life (IUL) and Fixed Index Annuities (FIA) to a traditional portfolio can produce enhanced benefits not replaceable elsewhere--more income, more wealth to heirs, and more predictable outcomes to name a few. But who does a properly structured IUL used as a Life Insurance Retirement Plan work? How does it make money internally? When should it be used and when not? In this episode we dive into those areas as well as a guaranteed lifetime income "private pension" that outperforms traditional portfolios and enhances the Income Production Ability (IPA) of the entire strategy. 

All financial vehicles fall into 1 of 3 categories/columns: Taxable, Tax-deferred (Tax-procrastination), or Tax-free. Savers must decide where they want the majority of their assets to live. Asset location is far more important that asset allocation. What is the right balance for you between these 3 tax columns? What collateral damage could your traditional retirement accounts be causing on your total retirement landscape? How can you tactically shift tax-hostile assets to tax-free assets?

The "do-it-yourself" retirement plan is often woefully shallow and incomplete, amounting to little more than "napkin math" when put under the microscope. When it comes to determining a strategy's Income Production Ability (IPA), the strategy must be stress-tested to assess its resiliency in extreme market volatility, tax-hostile environments, inflationary periods, catastrophic financial events, and more. A Retirement Buffer Analysis (part of a RIMS Report™) is a large step toward determining a retirement strategy's resilience. 

Is Big Beautiful Bill really beautiful for you and your retirement? It depends... From a new senior bonus deduction to the extension of the TCJA (Trump tax cuts) to new conversion opportunities, we break down how the OBBBA might affect your retirement in the short and long-term view. 

Will the TCJA (Trump tax cuts) be extended? How would that change your total retirement tax burden in retirement? If they are extended, how "permanent" would that extension be? Some people try to manage taxes in retirement; others simply exit the tax-trap altogether. Join us as we create multiple streams of tax-free income through efficient retirement planning. 

How well will your retirement plan hold up when taxes increase, when the market tanks, and when you have long-term care needs and costs? We dive in to how a RIMS Report™ helps protect retirees against these and other threats along with real-world examples, showcasing before and after scenarios of common situations we see almost everyday. 

"When people can't see the path, they stop dreaming of the destination." - Adam Grant, Hidden Potential

Many times, people believe they are headed toward a certain retirement outcome. Rarely are pre-retirees or retirees on the path they thought they were once we dig in a stress test their outlook.

Deferring (procrastinating) taxes until the future can backfire on the once-sacred-financial-doctrine that you will have lower taxes in retirement. In this episode, we explore what tax-deferral account such as 401Ks and IRAs could look like, the total retirement tax burden they cause including potential collateral taxation on social security and Medicare, a Tax Scorecard example, and how to create multiple streams of tax-free retirement income with a Retirement Income Maximization Strategy (RIMS Report™). 

Taxes are nothing more than wealth transfers from your retirement balance sheet to the US Treasury's. Qualified plans (401Ks/IRAs) can create serious collateral damage to other elements of your retirement (social security, Medicare, and capital gains, to name a few) if not planned for properly. How newly proposed legislation could harm retirees and savers and what you can do to insulate yourself from it.