Risk Management & Insurance

You're 63. Your tax preparer says your AGI is $105,000. Comfortably below the $109,000 IRMAA threshold. You relax. Two years later, at 65, you get a letter: your Medicare Part B premium is $974 higher annually ($81.20/month) because of $5,000 in tax-free municipal bond interest you (and your CPA)...

David's Income Runway Strategy 2024 (Year of Tax Return Impact): Concentrate major income events. Take the bonus and company stock sale in full during 2024. This creates the MAGI that will be locked in for 2026 Medicare premiums. 2025 (Year Before Medicare): Minimize all controllable income. Defer discretionary bonuses, delay stock...

If you're reading this in 2026, your Medicare premiums for the year are already determined by your 2024 income—in fact, the Social Security Administration finalized your IRMAA brackets in early 2026 using your 2024 Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI). Same with Part D too. And if you experienced any...

According to Kiplinger, the average high-income beneficiary pays $3,847 per year in Medicare Part B and Part D surcharges. But what if I told you that with proper planning, you could reduce or eliminate these costs entirely? This isn't about finding a loophole; it’s about understanding the rules better than the government expects you...

You must use Form SSA-44 (Medicare Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount; Life-Changing Event) to file an IRMAA appeal with the Social Security Administration (SSA). This form allows you to request a reduction in your Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D premiums if a qualifying life-changing event (such as retirement or divorce) has significantly reduced your Modified...

I'm Michael Ryan, and in my 3 decades as a financial planner, the most common and heartbreaking mistake I’ve witnessed has always centered on bad timing. And winning an appeal is not easy. You’ve worked decades to build a successful Traditional IRA or a healthy investment portfolio. You’ve earned the...

Did you know the Medicare IRMAA surcharge can impose a hidden, devastating 194,904% effective marginal tax rate on a single extra dollar of retirement income? This penalty, which adds thousands in annual Medicare premiums, blindsides even sophisticated savers because of the dangerous 2-Year Look-Back Rule. Additionally, understanding the implications of the medicare hold harmless...

Have questions on Medicare costs? Wondering about IRMAA Brackets and surcharges for your Medicare Parts B & D? We're going to unpack the hidden expense that catches thousands of Medicare beneficiaries off guard every year. Along with my IRMAA Checklist. A surcharge that's being determined by financial decisions you made back...

As a security and fraud investigator who teaches White-Collar Crime, I've seen the aftermath. Deed & home title fraud isn't a technical problem, but a human one. It's the violation of having your safest space, your home stolen from under you with nothing but a pen and a lie. For...

Ever found that perfect car online, the one that was never sold in the U.S., and thought, "I have to have it"? I've seen that excitement on a client's face more times than I can count. But what often follows is the sticker shock of insuring it. Getting import...