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.
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...
Are You Saving Too Much in Your Retirement Accounts?
It's possible to save too much in tax-deferred retirement accounts. The problem isn't the total amount saved. It's the concentration in one type of account. A household with $5 Million...
What’s the Difference Between a Financial Planner and a Financial Advisor?
A financial planner builds a comprehensive plan covering taxes, retirement income, investments, estate, and insurance, typically charging a flat fee or a percentage of assets. A financial advisor is a...
How Do You Minimize Taxes in Retirement?
You minimize retirement taxes through multi-year planning, not annual tax filing. The five highest-impact strategies are Roth conversions during low-income years before required minimum distributions begin (age 73 for those...
What’s the Best Order to Withdraw From Your Retirement Accounts?
Conventional advice says withdraw from taxable accounts first, then tax-deferred (traditional IRA, 401(k)), then Roth IRA last. For many retirees with significant savings, this conventional order may not be optimal....
How to Open a Trump Account: Form 4547, the App, and the Deadlines That Matter
You open a Trump Account by filing IRS Form 4547, either with your tax return or online through the IRS’s Form 4547 election portal, including via an IRS Individual Online...
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