One filing decision, one missed Roth conversion, or $1 over an IRMAA cliff can cost a household tens of thousands of dollars over a lifetime. We provide the education the system does not.
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Social Security, IRMAA and RMDs interact in ways that quietly cost people money. Start with the piece that drives the rest: our free guide covers the taxable-benefit thresholds, the survivor-benefit trap and the claiming-age math, in plain English. You’ll also get an invite to the next free class: no charge, no admission, nothing to buy.
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The IRS requires you to start withdrawing a minimum amount each year from traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, and similar pre-tax retirement accounts. RMDs begin at age 73 (or 75 if you were born in 1960 or later, under SECURE 2.0). The amount is calculated from your account balance and IRS life-expectancy tables.
Why it matters: RMDs are taxed as ordinary income and can push you into a higher tax bracket and trigger Medicare IRMAA surcharges, even if you don't need the money.
A Medicare surcharge added to your Part B and Part D premiums when your income crosses certain thresholds. In 2026, the first cliff is roughly $109,000 (single) / $218,000 (joint). Cross a cliff by even $1 and your premium jumps for the whole year. Medicare looks at your income from two years ago (your most recent tax return) to set it.
Why it matters: One high-income year, from an RMD, a Roth conversion, a home sale, an inheritance, or selling stock, can raise your Medicare premiums two years later. In 2026 the surcharge runs from about $1,150 to $6,900 a year per person, depending on the tier (CMS, 2026).
The income figure Medicare uses to decide your IRMAA bracket and the IRS uses to determine how much of your Social Security is taxable. It's your AGI plus a few add-backs (the main one is tax-exempt muni-bond interest).
Why it matters: Almost every retirement cliff, IRMAA, the Social Security tax torpedo, the Net Investment Income Tax, is measured against MAGI, not your "take-home" income.
Moving money from a traditional (pre-tax) retirement account into a Roth IRA. You pay income tax on the amount converted now. In exchange, that money grows tax-free and is never subject to RMDs or future income tax.
Why it matters: Done strategically in low-income years before age 73, conversions can save tens of thousands in lifetime taxes and shrink the RMDs that trigger IRMAA later.
Want to see exactly how these affect you? Try our free IRMAA Calculator, RMD Calculator, or Roth Conversion Optimizer.
Every session is free, open to the public, and built to explain the rules no one else does. No products, no sales, and no personal financial information required to learn.
Free and open to the public. No income requirement.
Social Security's rules were written by Congress, administered by federal bureaucracy, and explained by no one. The people most harmed by that gap are often the people least able to absorb the loss.
You are approaching retirement and have not yet claimed Social Security. You receive or expect to receive SSI or SSDI. You inherited a retirement account after 2019 and do not understand the 10-year mandatory distribution rule. You have a financial advisor but Social Security strategy was never part of the conversation. You are a public-sector employee subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision or Government Pension Offset. You are divorced, widowed, or disabled and are unsure what benefits you qualify for. You are a lower-income household that relies primarily on Social Security and needs to understand every dollar.
Roughly half of American households have no professional financial guidance. Social Security is often their largest financial asset. We provide the technical foundation to make that decision without a paid advisor.
Many financial advisors are licensed to manage investments but have not studied Social Security optimization, the earnings test, provisional income, or WEP/GPO. A gap in your advisor's knowledge is still a gap.
Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance have specific earnings limits, benefit interaction rules, and transition pathways to retirement benefits. Getting these wrong has immediate financial consequences.
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Reserve a seat at our next free workshop, or run the numbers yourself with our free calculators.
In-depth, plain-English guides on Social Security, Medicare/IRMAA, taxes, and retirement income. No sign-up, no cost, just the parts most people get wrong.