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Building a tax-efficient retirement income plan

How to coordinate Social Security, RMDs, and brokerage withdrawals to minimize lifetime tax.

9 min read
Building a tax-efficient retirement income plan

The tax bill in retirement is one of the largest expenses most retirees face — and one of the most controllable.

Withdrawal sequencing: the traditional advice — taxable first, then traditional, then Roth — is often wrong. Modern planning models suggest pulling from each bucket strategically each year to fill up low brackets and avoid spilling into high brackets.

Roth conversions in your 60s, before RMDs and Social Security start, are often the highest-impact tax move retirees ever make.

Asset location: hold tax-inefficient investments (REITs, bonds, active funds) inside IRAs. Hold tax-efficient investments (broad-market index funds) inside taxable accounts. This single decision can add years of portfolio life with no extra risk.

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