Jim and Chris discuss listener emails on Social Security timing for HSA contributions, investing in a SPIA vs buffered ETFs, and using SEPP 72(t) income to manage ACA credits.
(7:00) A listener describes delaying a Social Security filing to avoid Medicare Part A backdating that would have reduced prior-year HSA contributions, while still receiving full retroactive benefits.
(28:00) Georgette asks what to do with money originally set aside for a condo purchase, weighing ETFs against buying a single premium immediate annuity (SPIA), given an existing fixed indexed annuity (FIA), and pension income that cover living expenses.
(55:45) The guys address whether a SPIA purchased inside a rollover IRA can be used to satisfy SEPP 72(t) rules while keeping income low enough to preserve max ACA credits.

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If you’d like to skip over the guys chatting about cold weather and football you can to (8:15).

Chris’s Summary
Jim and I are joined by Jacob as we continue our discussion on asset positioning and explain how we approach managing investment assets within a distribution portfolio. We outline why dollars are assigned based on purpose and timing and how asset positioning functions as a form of asset-liability matching. The episode addresses cash versus cash-like roles, outcome periods, and how specific tools are evaluated within a broader distribution-focused framework.

Jim’s “Pithy” Summary
Chris and I are joined by Jacob as we dig further into how we think about handling portfolios once people are in retirement, specifically through the lens of asset positioning. This episode is built around clarifying how dollars get assigned jobs based on when they’ll be needed and why that sequencing drives the structure of a distribution portfolio.

We spend time breaking down the difference between cash and cash-like holdings and why that distinction matters when money is earmarked for different time horizons. A big part of the discussion centers on outcome periods, how certain tools behave between start and finish, and why mark-to-market pricing during that window can be misleading if you don’t understand what the holding is meant to do. Jacob walks through concrete examples that show how interim movement can look unsettling even when the structure is functioning exactly as designed.

We also get into why disclosure language sounds the way it does across virtually every type of holding, including ones most people are comfortable calling cash. The point isn’t semantics — it’s understanding the gap between legal language and functional role inside a portfolio. Everything ties back to structure, timing, and purpose. This is about how distribution portfolios actually operate in retirement, and why evaluating them with the wrong expectations creates confusion that doesn’t need to be there.

The post Asset Positioning for Retirees: EDU #2604 appeared first on The Retirement and IRA Show.

Jim and Chris discuss listener emails on Social Security survivor benefits and the earnings test, share a listener PSA on Social Security timing and IRMAA, then cover ERISA protections for retirement rollovers and a PSA from Greg on lifetime unlimited long-term care policies.
(9:45) Georgette asks whether she must still take her husband’s required minimum distributions if he passes during his RMD year and how Social Security survivor benefits work, including whether she should claim a widow’s benefit or wait to take her own.
(50:45) A listener asks how the Social Security earnings test applies when someone retires before full retirement age and applies midyear, and how to avoid missing a month of income due to the timing of benefit payments.
(55:00) The guys share a PSA about applying for Social Security and receiving benefits within days, which caused an unexpected IRMAA impact.
(1:00:35) Jim and Chris discuss whether rolling Roth and pre-tax 401(k) assets into IRAs results in losing ERISA protections, or if separate rollover IRAs are needed to preserve those protections.
(1:15:15) Greg, from our office, shares a PSA clarifying that some lifetime unlimited long-term care policies still exist.

The post Social Security, ERISA, LTC: Q&A #2604 appeared first on The Retirement and IRA Show.