{"id":3863,"date":"2026-05-28T19:06:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T19:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moneyevolution.com\/blog\/?p=3863"},"modified":"2026-05-28T19:06:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T19:06:32","slug":"5-tax-moves-to-make-before-you-retire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moneyevolution.com\/blog\/5-tax-moves-to-make-before-you-retire\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tax Moves to Make Before You Retire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n\n@import url('https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Playfair+Display:ital,wght@0,700;0,900;1,700&family=Source+Serif+4:ital,opsz,wght@0,8..60,300;0,8..60,400;0,8..60,600;1,8..60,300;1,8..60,400&family=DM+Sans:wght@300;400;500;600;700&display=swap');\n\n*, *::before, *::after { box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0; padding: 0; }\n\n:root {\n  --navy: #0F1D35;\n  --navy2: #1B2B4B;\n  --blue: #1E5FA8;\n  --gold: #C8922A;\n  --gold2: #E8A820;\n  --ltgold: #FDF8F0;\n  --green: #1E7A4E;\n  --ltgreen: #EBF5EF;\n  --red: #B83A1A;\n  --ltred: #FEF2EE;\n  --slate: #3D4F6A;\n  --muted: #6B7A90;\n  --rule: #DDE5EE;\n  --bg: #FAFBFC;\n  --white: #ffffff;\n  --text: #1E2530;\n}\n\nbody {\n  font-family: 'Source Serif 4', Georgia, serif;\n  background: var(--bg);\n  color: var(--text);\n  font-size: 18px;\n  line-height: 1.75;\n  -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;\n}\n\n.article-wrap { max-width: 920px; 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}\n  .article-wrap { padding-left: 18px; padding-right: 18px; }\n  .stat-strip { grid-template-columns: 1fr; }\n  .data-table { display: block; overflow-x: auto; white-space: nowrap; }\n  .scenario-row { align-items: flex-start; }\n  .sc-val { white-space: normal; min-width: 110px; }\n}\n\n\/* Elementor\/nav stacking fix: keeps this entire custom HTML section below your sticky header\/nav *\/\nbody .elementor-location-header,\nbody .elementor-sticky--active,\nbody header.site-header,\nbody #masthead {\n  position: relative !important;\n  z-index: 999999 !important;\n}\n\n.me-article-page {\n  position: relative !important;\n  z-index: 0 !important;\n  isolation: isolate;\n  padding-top: 0 !important;\n}\n\n.me-article-page *,\n.me-article-page *::before,\n.me-article-page *::after {\n  z-index: auto !important;\n}\n\n.me-article-page .article-wrap,\n.me-article-page .article-header,\n.me-article-page .move,\n.me-article-page .cta-box,\n.me-article-page .pull-quote,\n.me-article-page .stat-card {\n  position: relative;\n  z-index: 0 !important;\n}\n\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"me-article-page\">\n<div class=\"article-wrap\">\n\n  <header class=\"article-header\">\n    <div class=\"article-category\">Retirement Tax Planning<\/div>\n    <h1 class=\"article-title\">5 Tax Moves to Make Before You Retire<\/h1>\n    <p class=\"article-dek\">Some tax planning strategies are time\u2011limited and may no longer be available after retirement. This article highlights considerations to review before retirement and explains why timing can matter.<\/p>\n  <\/header>\n\n  <p>If you&#8217;re within five years of retirement and most of your savings are sitting in a traditional 401(k) or IRA, there are specific tax moves available to you right now that won&#8217;t be available once you retire. Some close the day you hand in your badge. One closes the year you turn 64. One closes the day you enroll in Medicare. Some opportunities change or narrow after retirement, and others require earlier evaluation to remain flexible.<\/p>\n\n  <p>I&#8217;ve been building retirement plans for about 30 years. In that time, the most consistent thing I see is people arriving at retirement having never taken these five steps \u2014 not because they weren&#8217;t capable of doing them, but because I\u2019ve observed that these considerations are often overlooked. That&#8217;s what this article is for.<\/p>\n\n  <p>These are not obscure strategies. They&#8217;re available to most high earners with significant pre-tax savings. The challenge isn&#8217;t access \u2014 it&#8217;s awareness and timing.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"move\">\n    <div class=\"move-label\">Move 1 of 5<\/div>\n    <div class=\"move-title\">Get Your Contribution Direction Right<\/div>\n    <div class=\"move-sub\">Pre-tax vs. Roth \u2014 the answer depends on where your balance is heading, not just your bracket today<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <p>Most people in their late 50s and early 60s are at or near the highest earnings of their career. Marginal tax rates may be relatively high. At that level, contributing to a traditional pre-tax 401(k) still makes strong mathematical sense for many people \u2014 you&#8217;re avoiding tax at a 32% marginal rate today and will pay at a much lower effective rate in retirement.<\/p>\n\n  <p>Here&#8217;s how that math works. The following is a simplified hypothetical illustration for educational purposes only. A married couple withdrawing $240,000 per year from a traditional IRA in retirement doesn&#8217;t pay 22% on all of it. They pay 10% on the first tier, 12% on the next, 22% on the remainder \u2014 but the standard deduction shelters the first $32,200 before any of that begins. The result: approximately $35,000 in federal tax on $240,000 of income. That&#8217;s a 14.6% effective rate. Saving at 32% marginal while working and paying at 14.6% effective in retirement is a real advantage.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"stat-strip\">\n    <div class=\"stat-card\">\n      <div class=\"stat-num\">32%<\/div>\n      <div class=\"stat-text\">Marginal rate saving pre-tax at peak earnings<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"stat-card\">\n      <div class=\"stat-num\">14.6%<\/div>\n      <div class=\"stat-text\">Effective rate on $240K MFJ retirement withdrawal (2026)<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"stat-card\">\n      <div class=\"stat-num\">~17 pts<\/div>\n      <div class=\"stat-text\">The gap \u2014 the core case for traditional contributions<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <p>But this calculation has a limit. The pre-tax strategy wins when your effective rate in retirement is meaningfully lower than your marginal rate today. The problem is that if your traditional balance is already large \u2014 say, $2 million or more \u2014 continuing to pour money into pre-tax accounts makes a future problem larger. Required Minimum Distributions at 75 could force more income than you actually need, potentially pushing you into higher brackets and triggering Medicare surcharges. In that case, shifting some or all new contributions toward Roth starts to make sense, even in a high bracket today.<\/p>\n\n  <p>The key question isn&#8217;t \u201cwhat&#8217;s my bracket now versus later?\u201d It&#8217;s \u201cwhat will my forced income look like at 75 if I keep doing what I&#8217;m doing?\u201d Without modeling, this decision may be made without full visibility.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"callout callout-blue\">\n    <div class=\"callout-label\">On Cashflow<\/div>\n    <p>If maxing your 401(k) creates a take-home pay squeeze, consider drawing from a taxable brokerage account to bridge the gap. The tax benefit of maximizing contributions often exceeds the drag of drawing down taxable assets. One caution: if those taxable positions are appreciated, be thoughtful about which ones you sell. Realized capital gains count toward your MAGI and can affect both IRMAA thresholds and the Senior Bonus Deduction phase-out \u2014 even if your income tax on those gains is zero.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"move\">\n    <div class=\"move-label\">Move 2 of 5<\/div>\n    <div class=\"move-title\">Max the Super Catch-Up \u2014 Ages 60, 61, 62, and 63 Only<\/div>\n    <div class=\"move-sub\">A four-year window created by the SECURE Act 2.0 <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <p>Most people know about the standard catch-up contribution for those 50 and older. Fewer know that the SECURE Act 2.0 created a significantly enhanced catch-up for a very specific four-year window: ages 60, 61, 62, and 63 only. At 64, you revert to the standard amount permanently.<\/p>\n\n  <p>Here are the 2026 numbers:<\/p>\n\n  <table class=\"data-table\">\n    <thead>\n      <tr>\n        <th>Age Group<\/th>\n        <th>Employee Deferral Limit<\/th>\n        <th>415(c) Combined Limit*<\/th>\n      <\/tr>\n    <\/thead>\n    <tbody>\n      <tr>\n        <td>Under 50<\/td>\n        <td class=\"num\">$24,500<\/td>\n        <td class=\"num\">$72,000<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td>Ages 50\u201359 and 64+<\/td>\n        <td class=\"num\">$32,500<\/td>\n        <td class=\"num\">$80,000<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td>Ages 60\u201363 (super catch-up)<\/td>\n        <td class=\"num gold\">$35,750<\/td>\n        <td class=\"num gold\">$83,250<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n    <\/tbody>\n  <\/table>\n\n  <p class=\"table-note\">*415(c) combined limit includes employee deferrals + employer match + after-tax contributions. All figures 2026.<\/p>\n\n  <p>The difference between the standard catch-up and the super catch-up is $3,250 per year \u2014 but at a 32% marginal rate, that&#8217;s over $1,000 in annual tax savings on contributions alone, before compounding. If you&#8217;re in this window right now and contributing the same amount you were at 55, you may not be fully utilizing allowable contribution limits.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"callout callout-gold\">\n    <div class=\"callout-label\">Mandatory Roth Catch-Up \u2014 Applies Per Individual<\/div>\n    <p>Starting in 2026, employees with prior-year FICA wages exceeding $150,000 must direct catch-up contributions to a Roth 401(k), not traditional. This threshold applies per individual. In a two-income household, one spouse above $150,000 may be required to use Roth catch-up while the other \u2014 below the threshold \u2014 still has the choice. This creates a planning opportunity: coordinate each spouse&#8217;s direction independently to optimize the household&#8217;s overall Traditional\/Roth balance.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"move\">\n    <div class=\"move-label\">Move 3 of 5<\/div>\n    <div class=\"move-title\">The Mega Backdoor Roth<\/div>\n    <div class=\"move-sub\">Build tax\u2011advantaged assets beyond standard contribution limits.<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <p>Most people think they&#8217;re limited to the standard employee deferral limit when contributing to their 401(k). They&#8217;re not \u2014 if their plan allows it. Many employer plans permit after-tax contributions that can fill the gap between your regular contributions plus employer match and the IRS combined 415(c) limit. Those after-tax dollars can then be converted to Roth immediately \u2014 either inside the plan or rolled to a Roth IRA.<\/p>\n\n  <p>Because the money was already taxed before it went in, no additional tax is due when executed properly. No income test. No pro-rata complications. The result is Roth money at a scale you could never build through direct Roth contributions.<\/p>\n\n  <p>Here&#8217;s how this looks in practice for someone in the age 60\u201363 super catch-up window:<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"scenario\">\n    <div class=\"scenario-header\">Hypothetical example \u2014 ages 60\u201363, all figures illustrative<\/div>\n    <div class=\"scenario-body\">\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\">\n        <span class=\"sc-key\">Employee deferrals (base $24,500 + super catch-up $11,250)<\/span>\n        <span class=\"sc-val\">$35,750<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\">\n        <span class=\"sc-key\">Employer match (example: 4% of $350K salary)<\/span>\n        <span class=\"sc-val\">$14,000<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\">\n        <span class=\"sc-key\">After-tax contributions (room remaining to 415(c) limit)<\/span>\n        <span class=\"sc-val gold\">$33,500<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\" style=\"border-top: 2px solid var(--navy); margin-top: 4px; padding-top: 10px;\">\n        <span class=\"sc-key bold\">Total \u2014 415(c) combined limit<\/span>\n        <span class=\"sc-val gold\">$83,250<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"scenario-note\">The $33,500 after-tax portion converts to Roth at no additional tax cost. Four years of this in the super catch-up window builds approximately $134,000 in Roth assets before retirement, before any investment growth. Actual numbers depend on salary, employer match, and plan design.<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <p>Step one is simple: call your plan administrator and ask whether after-tax contributions are permitted. Not all plans allow this. But if yours does and you&#8217;re not using it, this is one of the most valuable things you&#8217;ll learn from this article.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"move\">\n    <div class=\"move-label\">Move 4 of 5<\/div>\n    <div class=\"move-title\">Max the HSA \u2014 The Window Closes at Medicare<\/div>\n    <div class=\"move-sub\">The only account in the tax code with a triple tax advantage \u2014 and most people treat it like a checking account<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <p>The Health Savings Account is the only account in the tax code offering all three tax advantages simultaneously: contributions are deductible, growth is tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are completely tax-free. A traditional 401(k) gives you the deduction but taxes withdrawals. A Roth IRA gives you tax-free growth and withdrawals but no deduction upfront. The HSA gives you all three \u2014 making it, dollar for dollar, the most tax-efficient account available for healthcare costs in retirement.<\/p>\n\n  <p>But the window closes when you enroll in Medicare \u2014 typically at 65. Once Medicare begins, you can no longer contribute, though you can continue spending existing balances tax-free on qualified medical expenses. These last working years are your final opportunity to build the balance.<\/p>\n\n  <table class=\"data-table\">\n    <thead>\n      <tr>\n        <th>Coverage Type<\/th>\n        <th>2026 Annual Limit<\/th>\n        <th>Age 55+ Catch-Up<\/th>\n        <th>Total If 55+<\/th>\n      <\/tr>\n    <\/thead>\n    <tbody>\n      <tr>\n        <td>Self-only HDHP<\/td>\n        <td class=\"num\">$4,400<\/td>\n        <td class=\"num\">+$1,000<\/td>\n        <td class=\"num gold\">$5,400<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n      <tr>\n        <td>Family HDHP<\/td>\n        <td class=\"num\">$8,750<\/td>\n        <td class=\"num\">+$1,000 per eligible spouse<\/td>\n        <td class=\"num gold\">$9,750\u2013$10,750<\/td>\n      <\/tr>\n    <\/tbody>\n  <\/table>\n\n  <p>Most people drain their HSA on current-year medical costs. A more powerful approach: contribute the maximum, invest the balance in low-cost index funds, pay current medical expenses out of pocket \u2014 and keep your receipts. There is no time limit on reimbursing yourself for past qualified medical expenses from an HSA. You can pay out of pocket now and reimburse yourself years later, effectively using the HSA as a tax-free reserve you deploy strategically in retirement.<\/p>\n\n  <p>One additional advantage worth noting: qualified medical withdrawals from an HSA generate zero MAGI. Unlike IRA withdrawals or Roth conversions, HSA medical distributions don&#8217;t affect your IRMAA calculation. In a retirement where managing MAGI is one of your most important annual tasks, that&#8217;s a meaningful planning advantage.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"move\">\n    <div class=\"move-label\">Move 5 of 5<\/div>\n    <div class=\"move-title\">Model Your RMD Trajectory Now<\/div>\n    <div class=\"move-sub\">One of the most important things you can do in these five years \u2014 and almost nobody does it until it&#8217;s too late to change anything<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <p>Here is something most people don&#8217;t know \u2014 and that surprises nearly every client when I show it to them for the first time.<\/p>\n\n  <p>Spending $120,000 or even $150,000 per year in retirement often isn&#8217;t enough to reduce your traditional IRA balance. At a 6% growth rate, a $4 million balance generates $240,000 in growth per year. Spend $150,000 and the account still grows by $90,000 annually. The balance at 75 is larger than the balance at 65 \u2014 even with significant spending. Add the contributions you&#8217;re making in these final working years on top of that, and the trajectory is steeper than most people expect.<\/p>\n\n  <p>This is why the RMD problem is so insidious. You aren&#8217;t actively doing anything wrong. You&#8217;re spending reasonably, contributing diligently, growing your investments. And the result is a forced income event at 75 that can push your tax bill higher than anything you faced during your working years.<\/p>\n\n  <h2>The Math Behind Two Real Scenarios<\/h2>\n\n  <p>Let me show you what this actually looks like. Both scenarios below assume a hypothetical individual starting at age 60, retiring at 65, with 6% annual investment growth and no Roth conversions during retirement. Born 1960 or later, so RMDs begin at 75 under current law. All numbers are illustrative.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"scenario\">\n    <div class=\"scenario-header\">Scenario A \u2014 $2.5M at age 60, retire at 65, $120K\/yr spending<\/div>\n    <div class=\"scenario-body\">\n      <div class=\"scenario-row section\"><span class=\"sc-key section\">Phase 1: Working years, ages 60\u201365<\/span><span class=\"sc-val\"><\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\"><span class=\"sc-key\">Balance at retirement, age 65<\/span><span class=\"sc-val\">~$3,556,000<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row section\"><span class=\"sc-key section\">Phase 2: Ages 65\u201375<\/span><span class=\"sc-val\"><\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\"><span class=\"sc-key\">Balance at age 75 \u2014 account grew despite $120K\/yr spending<\/span><span class=\"sc-val\">~$4,691,000<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\"><span class=\"sc-key\">First RMD (balance \u00f7 24.6)<\/span><span class=\"sc-val\">~$191,000<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\"><span class=\"sc-key\">+ Social Security (~$75K)<\/span><span class=\"sc-val gold\">Total ~$266,000<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\"><span class=\"sc-key\">vs. 2026 IRMAA threshold MFJ ($218K) \u2014 over by ~$48K<\/span><span class=\"sc-val warn\">\u26a0 IRMAA triggered<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\"><span class=\"sc-key\">vs. inflation-adjusted ~2039 threshold (~$282K at 2%\/yr)<\/span><span class=\"sc-val ok\">\u2713 Under by ~$16K<\/span><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"scenario-note\">This client is likely manageable against the inflation-adjusted threshold \u2014 but only with deliberate planning. Roth conversions during the early retirement window, drawing from taxable accounts to supplement spending, or retiring slightly earlier all help keep this comfortable.<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"scenario\">\n    <div class=\"scenario-header\">Scenario B \u2014 $3.0M at age 60, retire at 65, $150K\/yr spending<\/div>\n    <div class=\"scenario-body\">\n      <div class=\"scenario-row section\"><span class=\"sc-key section\">Phase 1: Working years, ages 60\u201365<\/span><span class=\"sc-val\"><\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\"><span class=\"sc-key\">Balance at retirement, age 65<\/span><span class=\"sc-val\">~$4,225,000<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row section\"><span class=\"sc-key section\">Phase 2: Ages 65\u201375<\/span><span class=\"sc-val\"><\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\"><span class=\"sc-key\">Balance at age 75 \u2014 still growing despite $150K\/yr spending<\/span><span class=\"sc-val\">~$5,470,000<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\"><span class=\"sc-key\">First RMD (balance \u00f7 24.6)<\/span><span class=\"sc-val\">~$222,000<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\"><span class=\"sc-key\">+ Social Security (~$75K)<\/span><span class=\"sc-val gold\">Total ~$297,000<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\"><span class=\"sc-key\">vs. 2026 IRMAA threshold ($218K) \u2014 over by ~$79K<\/span><span class=\"sc-val warn\">\u26a0 Well over<\/span><\/div>\n      <div class=\"scenario-row\"><span class=\"sc-key\">vs. inflation-adjusted ~2039 threshold (~$282K)<\/span><span class=\"sc-val warn\">\u26a0 Still over by ~$15K<\/span><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"scenario-note\">This client likely cannot avoid IRMAA entirely without deliberate intervention \u2014 but the gap against the inflation-adjusted threshold is only about $15,000. That&#8217;s very closeable. Retiring 1\u20132 years earlier adds more conversion room. Roth conversions in early retirement reduce the balance heading into 75.<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"callout callout-red\">\n    <div class=\"callout-label\">The Honest Caveat<\/div>\n    <p>I&#8217;m not going to tell you everyone can avoid IRMAA. For some clients with very large pre-tax balances and high spending needs, even aggressive planning may not fully eliminate it. But the clients who know this in advance \u2014 who&#8217;ve modeled the number and built a plan around it \u2014 are in a completely different position than the ones who find out when the Medicare bill arrives. The goal isn&#8217;t perfection. It&#8217;s clarity.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <h3>The Tools to Manage It<\/h3>\n\n  <p>Once you&#8217;ve modeled your trajectory, you have three primary levers during the years between retirement and RMD age:<\/p>\n\n  <p><strong>Roth conversions during early retirement.<\/strong> This is one of the most powerful tools. Converting pre-tax dollars to Roth during the low-income window before Social Security and RMDs stack up directly reduces the balance that will generate forced distributions at 75. Size conversions carefully \u2014 staying below IRMAA thresholds and accounting for all income sources \u2014 but every dollar converted is a dollar that never becomes an RMD.<\/p>\n\n  <p><strong>Drawing from taxable accounts for spending.<\/strong> Using your brokerage account for living expenses rather than your traditional IRA keeps the pre-tax balance lower and preserves more room below IRMAA thresholds for Roth conversions in the same year. One caution: capital gains from appreciated positions count toward MAGI even at a 0% income tax rate. Coordinate carefully.<\/p>\n\n  <p><strong>Retiring slightly earlier.<\/strong> This is a frequently overlooked consideration. Even one or two extra years of retirement before RMDs begin means more spending drawing down the pre-tax balance, more Roth conversion room, and a lower starting point at 75. It doesn&#8217;t always solve everything, but it consistently moves the needle more than people expect.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"pull-quote\">\n    <p>The most common thing I hear after we build the first plan is that many people later wish they had reviewed these considerations earlier. The strategies were available. The rules hadn&#8217;t changed. Nobody had just taken the time to put it all together.<\/p>\n    <cite>\u2014 Bill Lethemon, Money Evolution<\/cite>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <h2>The Window Is Time-Limited<\/h2>\n\n  <p>These five moves share a common thread: they&#8217;re all time-limited. Some close the day you retire. One closes the year you turn 64. One closes at Medicare enrollment. And the RMD modeling you do now shapes decisions you&#8217;ll be living with for 20 years.<\/p>\n\n  <p>The hardest part isn&#8217;t executing any one of these strategies. It&#8217;s seeing them all together \u2014 understanding how they interact with each other, with your Social Security timing, with your IRMAA exposure, with your heirs&#8217; tax situation. That&#8217;s not something a rule of thumb can solve. It requires a real model built around your specific numbers.<\/p>\n\n  <p>The next article in this series covers the five moves that belong in the first five years after you retire \u2014 which is where everything you did in the working years actually pays off.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"cta-box\">\n    <div class=\"cta-eyebrow\">Free Download<\/div>\n    <div class=\"cta-title\">The Retirement Tax Planning Playbook<\/div>\n    <div class=\"cta-body\">12 advanced strategies for pre-retirees with $2M+ in assets \u2014 updated for 2026 tax law, including everything covered in this article and the strategies that come next.<\/div>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/retirementtaxplaybook.com\" class=\"cta-btn\">Free Download \u2192<\/a>\n    <div class=\"cta-sub\">Free \u00b7 No obligation \u00b7 moneyevolution.com<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"disclaimer\">\n    <p>Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor, Member FINRA\/SIPC. Financial planning offered through Money Evolution LLC, a separate entity from LPL Financial. All examples are hypothetical and for illustrative purposes only. Individual results will vary. This article is for educational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or investment advice. All strategies should be evaluated with a qualified professional using your specific numbers. Figures shown reflect 2026 IRS guidance and are subject to change.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Retirement Tax Planning 5 Tax Moves to Make Before You Retire Some tax planning strategies are time\u2011limited and may no longer be available after retirement. This article highlights considerations to review before retirement and explains why timing can matter. If you&#8217;re within five years of retirement and most of your savings are sitting in a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3874,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,8],"tags":[36,29],"class_list":["post-3863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retirement-planning","category-taxes","tag-retirement-planning","tag-tax-optimization"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>5 Tax Moves to Make Before You Retire | Money Evolution Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Retirement Tax Planning 5 Tax Moves to Make Before You Retire Some tax planning strategies are time\u2011limited and may no longer be available after\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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