Curious about your retirement savings? Our How Much Do I Need To Retire? quiz gives you an idea of where you stand and a starting point to think about your long-term planning.

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You did everything right. You maxed your 401(k) for decades, watched the balance grow, and felt good about where you were headed. Then someone showed you a tax projection for retirement and it was a lot bigger than you expected.

In this episode, Scott walks through why a large, traditional 401(k) balance can quietly become a future tax trap. He breaks down a real world example of how required minimum distributions (RMDs), Social Security, and Medicare premiums can stack up in ways most people never saw coming and what a surviving spouse could face alone.

But this isn't a story about regret. It's about having a window of time to act before the IRS starts making decisions for you.

If 70 to 80% of your investable wealth sits in pre-tax accounts, this episode is for you. Scott walks through four practical levers: savings direction, Roth conversions, taxable bridge accounts, and asset location and closes with three concrete steps you can take right now to get clarity on where you actually stand.

Your401(k) isn't the issue, having one that is overly concentrated without a plan is.

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• Stone Steps Financial 

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Money can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. When you’re able to understand the complexities, you can make better decisions to improve your daily life. Connect with us at Stone Steps Financial.