Tag: tax minimization

Don’t Write Off High-Cost States for Early Retirement // Why We’ll Never Leave California

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The most common question we got after revealing where we live was “But… California?! It’s such a high-tax state!” So let’s take a look at why we think California can be a great place to retire, as can many high tax states. Because there’s so much more to total cost and overall lifestyle than just income taxes, especially given that income taxes are far less relevant to early retirees.

Avoid early withdrawals in early retirement // Roth conversion ladders, IRS rule 72t Substantially Equal Periodic Payments SEPP, early retirement savings

Minimizing Early Withdrawals in Early Retirement // Hang On to As Much As You Can for Later

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Some possible fighting words today, as we delve into the question of whether it makes sense to think of both taxable funds and tax-advantaged retirement funds as one big pool of money. Why does it matter? Because there are a bunch of potentially huge downsides to withdrawing traditional retirement funds early through Roth conversions or rule 72t distributions (or different approaches that exist in other countries). Fortunately, there’s another great option if you’re willing to do a little more math.