Category: Retirement Planning

What to Do With a Life Insurance Payout: A No-Pressure Plan for the First $500K+

What to do with life insurance payout money: why proceeds are tax free, the retained asset account letter,…

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Widow Social Security Benefits at 60: Survivor Check Now or the Switch Strategy?

Widow Social Security benefits at 60 pay just 71.5% of his benefit, and the earnings test can wipe…

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What to Do Financially When Your Husband Dies: The First-Year Checklist

Author: Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA® Table of contents Everyone tells you to take time to grieve, and in…

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Gray Divorce Financial Checklist: The First 12 Months After the Decree

A gray divorce financial checklist for the first 12 months: QDRO, retitling, your first single filer tax year,…

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Solo Aging Financial Planning: Building Your Professional Family When There’s No One Obvious to Call

Author: Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA® Table of contents You’ve run the portfolio numbers, the withdrawal rate, the Social…

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Roth Conversion Window: The Years High Earners Miss

The Roth conversion window is the stretch of low-bracket years between retirement and RMDs, and it closes for…

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Can I Retire With $2 Million? Real Math for a Single Woman at 55

Author: Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA® 🎧 Prefer to watch or listen? This episode of Align Your Retirement covers…

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IRMAA 2026: The Medicare Surcharge That Hits Two Years Late

Author: Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA® 🎧 Prefer to watch or listen? This episode of Align Your Retirement covers…

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The 4% Rule: Is It Safe for a Woman’s 35-Year Retirement?

The 4% rule assumes a 30-year retirement. Women often need 35 to 40 years. Here’s the real safe…

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Health Insurance Before Medicare: How to Retire Before 65

Retiring before 65? ACA subsidies key off your income. How the MAGI dial, the 2026 subsidy cliff, and…

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