The retirement tax bill nobody warned you about.
At age 73 (or 75), the IRS forces withdrawals from your 401(k) and IRA, whether you need the money or not. There's a window to get ahead of it, and we'd love to walk you through it.
We’ll review your situation, start mapping your plan, and send you a personalized tax snapshot — all before you even become a client.
Illustrative example. RMDs start at 73 — or 75 if you were born in 1960 or later.
One required withdrawal. Three hidden costs.
Every dollar deferred in your 401(k) or IRA comes with an expiration date. At 73 (or 75), the IRS forces you to start withdrawing funds, whether you need the income or not. Here's what could happen:
Your tax bracket climbs
A large required withdrawal stacks on top of your pension, dividends, or rental income, pushing you into higher tax brackets.
Medicare is more expensive
Cross $218,000 in combined income (married filing jointly) and IRMAA adds a surcharge to your Medicare premiums. It shows up two years later, tied to income you may not remember earning.
More of your Social Security gets taxed too
Combined income above $44,000 (married filing jointly) makes up to 85% of your Social Security benefit taxable, a threshold that hasn't moved since 1994, so more retirees cross it every year.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), 2026 Medicare Part B/D premium brackets. IRMAA is based on income from two years prior.
We’ll review your situation, start mapping your plan, and send you a personalized tax snapshot. Free to you, no obligation.
Meet Nate Willardson, CFP®
Founder of CURRENTS Wealth Strategies
After a decade at a global private bank, I founded CURRENTS to provide the highly personalized, tax-efficient planning and investments to pre-retirees that large firms often miss.
We build coordinated strategies for your income, investments, and taxes so you can step into retirement with total confidence.
Fee-only fiduciary • CFP®
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The Solution
Roth Conversions
A traditional IRA isn't tax-free. It's tax-later. A Roth conversion lets you pay that tax on your terms: move money into a Roth during your low-income early retirement years, at a bracket you control, so you avoid bigger forced withdrawals, more taxes, higher Medicare premiums, and a larger share of your Social Security taxed down the road.
Swipe right to see the full chart →
When to convert
Complete Roth conversions while you have no required distributions from your retirement accounts. With no salary and no Social Security started, this is for most people the lowest their taxable income will ever be again.
How much to convert
Convert enough to make real progress, but not so much that you climb a bracket or cross a Medicare threshold that bills you two years later. The number is evaluated every year, because your income changes every year.
How this helps you
- You keep more of what you saved. Pay at a rate you picked, instead of whatever applies once the withdrawals are forced.
- Your kids inherit money, not a tax bill. Most non-spouse beneficiaries must empty an inherited IRA within 10 years, often in their highest-earning years. Roth dollars generally arrive tax free.
- You decide where your income comes from. Money spread across all three account types makes each year's tax bill a choice rather than a consequence.
Illustrative only. Bar heights represent relative income levels and do not reflect specific dollar amounts or any individual's projected results. Required minimum distributions begin at age 73 if you were born between 1951 and 1959, and at age 75 if you were born in 1960 or later. Roth conversions are taxable in the year made and are not appropriate for everyone. Qualified Roth distributions are tax-free; inherited Roth accounts remain subject to the 10-year distribution rule for most non-spouse beneficiaries. Consult a qualified tax or financial professional before acting.
If This Sounds Like You
Our approach is designed for people in this exact situation.
You are within 10 years of retirement, or have recently retired.
A meaningful share of your savings sits in a traditional 401(k) or IRA.
You've saved $500k or more and want it to last, not just grow.
You want one coordinated strategy — not just a portfolio review that ignores taxes.
Income
A steady retirement paycheck, drawn from the right accounts in the right order.
Investments
Built around the income they need to produce and how long they have to last.
Taxes
Every decision weighed for what you keep, not just what you earn.
Estate
Wealth that passes to your family, not the IRS.
Schedule Your Free Retirement Tax Analysis
We’ll review your situation, start mapping your plan, and send you a personalized tax snapshot — all before you become a client.