Articles and Insights
Creative Financial Group’s Retirement Articles & Insights provide practical guidance for people approaching retirement, already retired, or planning for the next generation. Explore expert insights on retirement taxes, investing, Social Security, Medicare, estate planning, and other important financial decisions.
What Is a Qualified Charitable Distribution?
Quick Answer: A qualified charitable distribution, or QCD, lets you give directly from your IRA to a charity once you're 70 and a half. The gift counts toward your required minimum...
When Do RMDs Start and How Are They Calculated?
Quick Answer: Required minimum distributions start at age 73 for anyone born between 1951 and 1959, and at 75 for those born in 1960 or later. You calculate each year's...
Should You Do Roth Conversions Between Retirement and RMD Age?
Quick Answer: For most retirees, yes. The years between retiring and age 73 are usually the best time to convert to Roth, because your income is at its lowest. With no...
Do Roth Conversions Raise Your Medicare Premiums?
Quick Answer: Yes, a Roth conversion can raise your Medicare premiums, but not right away. The surcharge, called IRMAA, is based on your income from 2 years earlier, so a conversion today...
How Much Should You Convert to Roth Each Year?
Quick Answer: Convert enough to fill your current tax bracket without spilling into the next one.Most retirees convert up to the top of the 12% or 22% bracket in their...
How Are Capital Gains Taxed in Retirement?
Quick Answer:Long-term capital gains, on assets held more than a year, are taxed at 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on your taxable income. In 2026 a married couple pays 0%...
What Is the Tax Torpedo and How Do You Avoid It?
Quick Answer: The tax torpedo is the jump in your real tax rate when extra income drags more of your Social Security into taxation. Each added dollar can also make 50...
How Are IRA and 401(k) Withdrawals Taxed?
Withdrawals from a traditional IRA or 401(k) are taxed as ordinary income at your regular tax bracket, because you deferred the tax when you contributed. There's no special retirement rate....
How Is Social Security Taxed?
Social Security is taxed based on your combined income: your other income plus tax-exempt interest plus half of your benefit. Below $25,000 for singles or $32,000 for couples, none of...
How Are You Taxed in Retirement?
In retirement you're taxed by income type, not by a single rate. Traditional 401(k) and IRA withdrawals are ordinary income, up to 85% of Social Security can be taxed, long-term...
How Much Can You Safely Spend Each Year in Retirement?
How much you can safely spend depends on your portfolio, your other income, and how closely your plan is monitored. Rather than a fixed 4%, we run your plan through...
How Does Your Estate Pass to Your Heirs?
Your estate passes to your heirs through four main mechanisms: beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance (pass directly), joint ownership of assets (passes automatically to the survivor), trusts...
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