Jim and Chris discuss listener emails starting with PSAs about IRMAA and Social Security spousal benefit applications, then questions on IRMAA, QLAC-related RMD rules, and a Roth conversion involving a fixed indexed annuity (FIA).

(9:30) Georgette shares a PSA explaining that she successfully filed Form SSA-44 preemptively—before receiving an IRMAA determination letter.

(21:15) A listener offers a PSA describing issues with an online Social Security spousal benefit application that was denied after being submitted separately from the working spouse’s application.

(29:45) The guys discuss how the Social Security Administration determines IRMAA when a tax return is delayed due to combat-zone service and whether a significant drop in income qualifies for Form SSA-44 relief.

(38:45) Jim and Chris address whether overestimating income on Form SSA-44 results in a refund, how survivor benefits are affected if claimed early, and whether post-retirement employer coverage is treated as active employee benefits for Medicare Part B and IRMAA purposes.

(50:45) George asks whether payments in excess of the RMD from a QLAC can be applied toward RMDs for other IRAs, or only toward the non-annuitized portion of the same IRA.

(1:00:20) A listener asks how the pro rata rule applies to a Roth conversion when assets include a fixed indexed annuity (FIA) with a guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit.

The post IRMAA, Social Security, QLACs, Roth Conversions: Q&A #2550 appeared first on The Retirement and IRA Show.

Chris’s Summary
Jim and I discuss secure income as we review a Yahoo Finance article for middle-class retirees. We use it to highlight longevity considerations and the differences between guaranteed income approaches and traditional safe withdrawal rate or Monte Carlo methods. We also cover where spending-segmented planning and hybrid long-term-care annuities might fit in.

Jim’s “Pithy” Summary
Chris and I discuss an article titled “How Middle-Class Retirees Can Make Their Money Last 25 Years or Longer” to get into the parts of retirement planning that actually matter when you may be retired for far longer than the industry tends to model. The article leaves out the realities of aging, the changing ability to manage complex finances, and the specific expenses that follow you for life, which lets me lay out why the Minimum Dignity Floor needs to be treated differently from everything else rather than blended into one big withdrawal strategy that assumes stability where none exists.

I talk through why I push back so hard on traditional safe withdrawal rate thinking, especially the notion that retirees should simply trim spending whenever markets dip. I know you’ve probably heard me say it before – that approach ignores the reality many retirees face by not addressing what people cannot reduce and overstating what they can. It also glosses over how income behaves differently depending on its source, why some streams ratchet upward while others swing unpredictably, and how risk pooling creates stability that a portfolio alone cannot. The gaps in the article also give room to dig into long-term care, including why certain tax-driven situations make hybrid LTC annuities funded by non-qualified contracts worth considering. And underlying all of this is the point that the goal is not to react to markets for decades on end—it is to build a structure that supports the life you want to live. That is where secure income becomes essential.

Show Notes:
Yahoo Finance Article

The post The Importance of Secure Income for Retirement: EDU #2550 appeared first on The Retirement and IRA Show.

Jim and Chris discuss listener questions on Social Security family maximum and suspending benefits, a listener PSA on IRMAA premiums, a listener PSA on Medicare premiums, a listener PSA on Social Security claiming strategies, Roth contribution rules, and Roth conversion disadvantages.
(4:30) George asks how the combined family maximum benefit works when two retirement records are combined to increase the family limit for auxiliary benefits paid to a spouse and two minor children.
(16:00) A listener asks what additional factors should be considered when suspending a Social Security benefit at full retirement age and restarting at 70 after previously claiming early.
(30:15) The guys share a PSA in which a listener states that IRMAA is a premium rather than a tax because Medicare enrollment is optional.
(37:45) Georgette shares her objections to Chris describing the base Medicare premium as “free” and explains why she feels that is misleading.
(44:30) A listener offers a couple of PSAs, first sharing their thoughts on Nokbox, then sharing an article on a Social Security claiming strategy they believe could help people concerned about sequence of returns.
(51:00) The guys answer a question about how a 529-to-Roth IRA transfer affects the annual Roth contribution limit when part of the rollover is gains.
(56:30) Jim and Chris address what disadvantages exist when choosing a Roth conversion instead of a non-RMD IRA withdrawal when both would be taxable.

Show Notes:
NokBox

Social Security | Readjust your claiming strategy | Fidelity

The post Social Security, IRMAA, Medicare, Roth Contribution Rules, Roth Conversions: Q&A #2549 appeared first on The Retirement and IRA Show.