Retirement DNA

Takeaways: 1. No major changes for 2025 so far 2. IRA contributions remain the same, 401(k) and SEP IRA have had increases. 3. Most likely taxes on Social Security benefits will remain. Hopefully they will inflate the brackets to more current levels. They haven't been inflated since the 1980's. 4. If you own rental properties, be sure to deduct depreciation and recapture it when you sell. 5. Tax planning strategies. Tax loss harvesting on non-IRA accounts and Roth conversions to help lower taxes for the future.

1. There are 3 potential ways to balance the US Budget and start to pay off debt. 2. 2. Soon the U.S. will be spending more on interest on our than we will spend on any other program. 3. 3. The math doesn't work out to only raise taxes on the wealthy. 4. 4. Taxes will increase for everyone. 5. 5. Tax-Free accounts will become more important in the future.

Take intermittent steps into retirement. Go part-time, then retire. Work with a financial planner that will look holistically at your income and assets. If you don't have a pension, be sure you have a strategy for taking Social Security. That may include taking it early or waiting until after FRA. Have your adviser run different scenarios so you can see the difference with taxes, income and how your assets are used.

The traditional way of investing doesn't work. Research proves it It only works in up markets. Your income bucket should last 12+ years. It's important to keep your income bucket away from your growth bucket. You can't have your safe bucket going negative due to the market.

Only about 25% of Americans have been able to reach this goal. A traditional balanced portfolio no longer works according to JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs studies. Add in some guaranteed products, like annuities. Even the big Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, and Morgan Stanley are starting to see the value in them. Make sure you are talking to an adviser who specializes in retirement income planning and has the freedom to pick and choose products that are right fit for you.