Is a Roth Conversion Worth It, Even If It Temporarily Raises Your Medicare?

Is a Roth Conversion Worth It, Even If It Temporarily Raises Your Medicare? A Roth conversion offers a simple tradeoff: pay taxes now and potentially enjoy tax-free income later. The catch is that a conversion counts as income, which can temporarily increase your Medicare costs through IRMAA. On t…

Watch Out for These Mistakes Leading Up to Retirement

Watch Out for These Mistakes Leading Up to Retirement The five years before retirement are critical. It should be the homestretch, yet many arrive there without a plan or try to handle everything on their own. On this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis runs down the five most commo…

Set the Right Pace in Your First Year of Retirement

Set the Right Pace in Your First Year of Retirement Marathon runners know the start of the race matters. Go out too fast and you burn out. Fall too far behind and you're playing catch-up. It’s the same with retirement. On this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains how a coord…

Do You Have the Right Income Mix for Retirement?

Do You Have the Right Income Mix for Retirement? When you retire, income can come from a variety of sources: Social Security, pensions, investments, annuities and even life insurance. But how do you put those pieces together in a way that can support a retirement lasting 30 or 40 years? On this ep…

How Planning Can Help Restore Retirement Confidence

How Planning Can Help Restore Retirement Confidence Sometimes retirement looks great—until it's time to make the transition. That's when anxiety can creep in. The paycheck stops, expenses can be higher than expected and income gaps begin to appear. In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg…

Unleash the Power of Indexing

Unleash the Power of Indexing There’s more to the stock market than staying invested or moving to cash. You can track the S&P 500 without buying individual stocks. In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis introduces us to indexing—strategies that aim to capture market gains while…

Is There Another Way to Plan for Long-Term Care?

Is There Another Way to Plan for Long-Term Care? About 70% of Americans turning 65 will need some form of long-term care. But as traditional LTC insurance becomes harder to find, many are looking for alternatives. On this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains how hybrid life …

Ready to Play the ‘Retirement Prediction Board?’

Ready to Play the ‘Retirement Prediction Board?’ Major League Baseball is entering the world of prediction markets—where everything hinges on assumptions and odds. Retirement planning can be just as risky. In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains why betting on timing, i…

Watch Out for the ‘Myths’ of Retirement

Watch Out for the ‘Myths’ of Retirement For years, space aliens were dismissed as a myth—until recent evidence raised questions. But in retirement planning, plenty of myths still linger. On this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis clears up common misconceptions about Social Securit…

Too Much Income in Retirement Can Cost You

Too Much Income in Retirement Can Cost You Taxes don’t stop in retirement. Income thresholds can trigger taxes on Social Security, higher Medicare premiums and lost deductions. On this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains how strategies like Roth conversions can help coordin…