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IRA bridge could maximize Social Security benefits

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First, the good tax news. 

Clients approaching retirement can delay their future required minimum distributions — and accompanying income taxes — until they’re 73 rather than starting them at 72, as was the rule prior to the Secure 2.0 Act. In 2033, the first RMDs will fall back to 75.

Those changes will help pre-retirees lock in more tax-advantaged investment gains in their individual retirement accounts and build more wealth apart from Social Security.

The bad news is that they face the potential for much higher taxes in the future if they wait that long to begin taking the distributions into their taxable income.

More financial advisors and tax professionals with clients who are eligible for penalty-free IRA withdrawals as young as 59½ years old are considering how the distributions can be a bridge to claiming Social Security benefits later and avoiding so-called stealth expenses, according to four experts who spoke with Financial Planning. The approaching end of the year and the current federal tax brackets mean that it’s an especially timely topic of discussion.

The later the clients claim Social Security, the higher their monthly payments will be in retirement. At the same time, those benefits draw taxes for higher-income households that are also subject to higher Medicare costs. If the clients have built up healthy nest eggs in their traditional IRAs, those assets pose a complex planning opportunity with some built-in risks that can make a major impact on their retirement.

Sarah Brenner, the director of retirement education with Ed Slott and Company
Sarah Brenner is the director of retirement education with Ed Slott and Company.

Ed Slott and Company

“For a lot of people, their IRA is one of their biggest assets, if not their biggest asset,” Sarah Brenner, the director of retirement education with retirement consulting firm Ed Slott and Company, said in an interview. “It makes sense to use this taxable money earlier. It makes sense to use this money as a bridge.”

She and the other experts stressed that the bridge depends on any number of factors that are part of the retirement mix. The strategy also represents a departure from “the old regime,” which held that advisors and their clients should “defer, delay” and “wait until the bitter end” when they were obligated to receive the IRA distributions, according to Heather Schreiber, the founder of advanced planning consulting firm HLS Retirement Consulting.

“Now we’ve had to change our logic about that,” she said. “We have to think about shifting the mindset of people to say, ‘How do we take our assets in a way that’s the most tax-efficient?”

READ MORE: 30 tax questions to answer by the end of the year

The essentials

Advisors and their clients will be looking especially closely at four categories of numbers to figure out whether to use the bridge, with their cash flow needs being the first basic question. 

They’ll need to know the size of their possible RMD — the quotient of their IRA balance divided by life expectancies issued by the IRS. Then they’ll weigh that amount against their Social Security benefit, which is based on their average earnings over as many as 35 years in the workforce and their timing for taking benefits as early as 62, at the full retirement age between 66 and 67, or as late as 70. That’s when there will no longer be an advantage to waiting to claim the benefits.

If those considerations weren’t enough, they’ll need to remember that roughly 40% of Social Security beneficiaries pay federal taxes on the payments they receive and those in some areas must pay state duties on them as well. At the federal level, as much as 85% of the benefits are taxable for individuals with more than $34,000 in “combined income” or joint filers with $44,000. Medicare adds another layer of questions, since any possible Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts (IRMAA) with their monthly premiums are tied to income as well.

Each of the permutations could look different through, say, converting the IRA to a Roth to avoid the question of RMDs entirely for the rest of the client’s life while also paying the taxes for the switch. A qualified charitable distribution from an IRA could provide another way around the additional income from the mandatory withdrawal.

Erin Wood, a senior vice president for financial planning and advanced solutions with Omaha, Nebraska-based registered investment advisory firm Carson Group
Erin Wood is a senior vice president for financial planning and advanced solutions with Omaha, Nebraska-based registered investment advisory firm Carson Group.

Carson Group

The stealthiness of the tax and expenses comes from their interaction across income brackets, healthcare costs, RMDs and other areas, according to Erin Wood, a senior vice president for financial planning and advanced solutions with Omaha, Nebraska-based registered investment advisory firm Carson Group.

“All of these things end up being connected together,” she said. “It does surprise people if they’re in a different position than they thought they would be in.”

For some clients, unexpected health problems could put them in that type of bind in which they may need to tap the Social Security benefits right away, according to Valerie Escobar, a senior wealth advisor with Kansas City, Missouri-based advisory practice BMG Advisors. For others, they may wish to keep earning tax-free yield in their IRAs and claim benefits sooner as well, she noted. A third group could opt to use earlier withdrawals as a bridge to wait until 70 for Social Security to get the maximum benefits possible.

Valerie Escobar, a senior wealth advisor with Kansas City, Missouri-based advisory practice BMG Advisors
Valerie Escobar is a senior wealth advisor with Kansas City, Missouri-based advisory practice BMG Advisors.

Valerie Escobar

“I know that if I can wait as long as possible, then 8% growth is going to be credited to me,” Escobar said. “It is a way to offset the risk. You’re putting it on the government and not having to make it on your own investment dollars.”

READ MORE: The post-‘stretch’ home stretch for Roth IRA conversions

Timely questions

In general, the last quarter marks a good time for completing any RMDs or other withdrawals or planning them for next year. The new rules under Secure 2.0 lent another reason for a fresh look at a clients’ options and mandates, according to Brenner.

“Roths are more important than ever,” she said. “They can access that completely tax-free during their retirement.”

The expiration date of many provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 at the end of 2025 tacked on more incentive to convert to a Roth or take distributions under brackets that may revert to their previous, higher rates in 2026, Shreiber noted.

“Do you wait or do you take advantage?” she said. “These years — especially this year and next — are really pivotal opportunity years to consider doing that.”

The current lower rates may act as a “big, big savings opportunity to take advantage of now,” Wood agreed, noting that another shift in IRA guidelines from Secure 2.0 in 2025 and beyond will give clients between the ages of 60 and 63 a chance to make larger so-called catchup contributions to their accounts. Those “can be gold mines for getting extra money saved as well,” but advisors and their clients must find the right balance with their future taxes, she said.

“How much income you have in every given year is the difference between being in a higher tax bracket and a lower tax bracket and what level your Social Security is going to be taxed at as well,” Wood said.

READ MORE: Planning for 2025’s tax brackets and retirement rules

Avoid these mistakes by planning

All of the experts pointed out that clients could get a double whammy from higher taxes and lower benefits by claiming Social Security while still working full- or part-time. The significant hit to benefits offers another rationale for using the bridge strategy to claim later or simply to think through the RMDs far in advance.

“It gives you much more flexibility,” Escobar said. “It allows your model to be able to have more options when you’re planning it all out for your clients.”

Advisors should guide clients through the decision about when to take IRA distributions and claim Social Security by assisting them in avoiding two of the most common mistakes, according to Shreiber. 

The first comes from underestimating how long they’ll live in general and in retirement. The second revolves around the possible negative impact of a “widow’s penalty” in the form of “substantially lower income” for a surviving spouse when there is a significant disparity between their earnings and ages and the older one took Social Security benefits early, she said.

Heather Schreiber, the founder of advanced planning consulting firm HLS Retirement Consulting
Heather Schreiber is the founder of HLS Retirement Consulting.

HLS Retirement Consulting

Talking to clients early and often about the bridge strategy and other tools that may be at their disposal in their retirement can set them up for financial security down the line.

“I tell advisors all over the country that consumers need them — they need them as their advocates on this. They go to Social Security and oftentimes come out more confused than they went,” Shreiber said. “They need help. They really need advocates, and they’re searching for them. So this is an opportunity for advisors to really help their clients by getting more educated about Social Security.”

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Accounting

Trump win may threaten IRS funding

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The Internal Revenue Service may be facing steep cuts in its budget with the win on Tuesday night of President-elect Donald Trump.

Funding for the IRS has become a political issue, with Republicans successfully pushing to cut the extra $80 billion funding from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 already during battles over the debt limit.

“I think IRS funding is at significant risk right now, both the annual appropriation funding as well as the remaining IRA funding,” said Washington National Tax Office principal Rochelle Hodes at the Top 25 Firm Crowe LLP. 

Donald Trump during an election night event in West Palm Beach, Florida
Donald Trump during an election night event in West Palm Beach, Florida

Win McNamee/Getty Images

So far, Republicans have mainly called for cuts in the IRS’s enforcement budget. The increase in enforcement is supposed to be used to pay for the cost of the IRA, but the funding increase is also supposed to be used for taxpayer service and technology improvements.

“The only question for me on funding is, will any portion of the funding remain available for taxpayer service-related improvements at the IRS?” said Hodes.

The Direct File free tax prep program that the IRA funded could also be targeted, even as the IRS makes plans to expand it beyond the original 12 pilot states this year to 24 next tax season.

“I don’t think that will be in the sight line, but the IRA money is part of what’s being used for that,” said Hodes. “As we’ve seen in appropriations bills, there could be language directed at that, that no money can be spent on that initiative.”

A more important priority will be the extension of the expiring provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. “Getting TCJA resolved is going to be the first priority,” said Hodes. “The second question is, how will the cost of that endeavor be determined. If the view that is held by several Senate Republicans wins the day, then the cost of extending the expiring provisions will not be counted under those particular budget rules that are created dealing with extending current policy. If, however, that view is not adopted, then there is a high cost just to TCJA, and so any other provisions with cost will sort of stretch the boundaries of what many in Congress would be comfortable with. I think it will be necessary to see how the scoring goes for extending TCJA provisions.”

Trump has also called for exempting various forms of income, such as tip income, Social Security income and overtime from taxes.

“I also am not sure which of the ideas that were put forward on the campaign trail, other than extending TCJA, are provisions that have true champions who will want to pursue those,” said Hodes. 

That may depend on who ends up in Congress, with several important races in the House yet to be decided.

“Although the House remains undecided, the Republicans’ control of the Senate makes it much more likely that Republicans will be able to implement many of Trump’s proposed tax policies, such as making parts of the expiring 2017 TCJA provisions permanent,” said John Gimigliano, principal in charge of the Federal Legislative & Regulatory Services group within KPMG’s Washington National Tax practice, in a statement. “The pressing question now is how the Administration and Congress will fund such an ambitious agenda and what additional measures they might introduce, such as eliminating taxes on tips and overtime. These items will only add to the hefty $4+ trillion price tag they face. Until then, taxpayers should continue to stay apprised of developments and scenario plan for the different outcomes to get ahead.” 

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Firms plan to raise fees next year

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Over half of accounting and tax firms plan to increase fees across all services in 2025, according to a new survey.

The survey, released Wednesday by practice management technology company Ignition, found that the majority (around 58%) cited rising business costs as the main motivator for their fee increases, while only 5% are raising prices to increase revenue. Most of the nearly 350 firms surveyed intend to increase fees across services by 5% or 10%.

Some 57% of the respondents plan to increase fees across all services. With regard to tax preparation specifically, 90% of the survey respondents plan to increase fees for individual tax returns, and 87% plan to increase fees for business tax returns. In addition, 70% plan to increase fees for tax planning and advisory services;. 85% plan to increase fees for bookkeeping and accounting services; and 76% plan to increase fees for CFO and controller services.

“While accounting firm owners are embracing price increases in 2025, the report shows that the majority (around 58%) cite rising business costs as the main motivator,” said Ignition global president Greg Strickland in a statement. “Only 5% are raising prices to increase revenue, which indicates an opportunity for firms to leverage pricing as a strategic tool to unlock revenue growth.”

The report found a shift from hourly billing to fixed-fee and value-based pricing, with 79% of the survey respondents indicating they use fixed-fee or value-based pricing for bookkeeping and accounting services. Over half (54%) use fixed-fee or value-based pricing for tax preparation services, 67% use fixed-fee or value-based pricing for tax planning and advisory services, and 75% use fixed-fee or value-based pricing for CFO and controller services.

The report benchmarked current fees for tax, accounting and advisory services, which varied based on firms’ annual revenue range. The biggest variation in pricing was for tax planning and advisory services in particular. For firms with revenue of as much as $250,000, approximately 23% said they charge less than $500 for these services, while a nearly equal number (around 21%) indicated they charge more than $2000.

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Accounting

Millionaire tax backed by Illinois voters in threat to Chicago

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Illinois voters approved a nonbinding proposal to add an extra 3% levy on annual incomes of more than $1 million, which could fuel a new effort to raise taxes on the state’s highest earners.

The ballot measure – which was an advisory question – won 60% of support, according to the Associated Press. About 90% of the votes have been counted.

“The vote is a gigantic step in the right direction,” said former Governor Pat Quinn, a supporter of the measure. 

quinn-pat-bl020212-357.jpg
Pat Quinn

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

While the proposal has no legal effect, the vote opens the door to a new debate over ramping up taxes on the rich even as Illinois and Chicago, its biggest city, contend with population declines and a string of departures by major companies and wealthy residents. In 2020, voters rejected a separate measure backed by Governor JB Pritzker to replace the state’s flat tax on incomes with a graduated system that would raise rates on higher-earners.  

The Pritzker plan drew staunch opposition from billionaire financier Ken Griffin, who donated about $50 million to help torpedo the initiative. Griffin then left Chicago for Miami in 2022, moving the headquarters of his Citadel empire there as well. Companies from Caterpillar Inc. to Boeing Co. have also departed amid rising concerns over public safety, regulation and taxes. 

This year’s referendum asked voters if the Illinois Constitution should be amended to create the additional tax on income over $1 million. It called for using the proceeds to ease the state’s notoriously high property levies. 

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