How to Retire on Time

When moving income at a higher bracket looks like the better deal, Michael Decker, NSSA® explains how the effective tax rate can tell a different story.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on balancing risk and protection using a food-storage analogy, splitting a portfolio into smaller pieces that each have their own job instead of one blended mix.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

Michael Decker, NSSA® responds to a viewer who says the math only works with stocks and the S&P 500, and the risk that gets left out when withdrawals start during a down market.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on repositioning savings five years from retirement, and why shopping around matters here as much as anywhere else.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

Michael Decker, NSSA® walks through how to decide if an annuity fits your plan before shopping for one, then answers a follow-up question on timing IRA to Roth conversions for an inherited account.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on planning retirement income around a future inheritance, and why treating it as a backup plan works better than counting on it.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

Michael Decker, NSSA® walks through a widening gap between short-term and long-term interest rates that echoes the run-up to 2008. 
Plus two "would you rather" thought experiments that show how differently people judge risk once real dollars and timelines are on the table.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on why some people don't need IRA to Roth conversions even as taxes go up, and the one number he says actually matters.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on selling company stock that makes up over half their savings, and three ways to manage the tax bill along the way.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on withdrawing from a $750,000 401(k) at 65, and tells a CVS receipt story he uses to explain wasted tax breaks.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on an in-service 403(b) rollover, an index annuity, and withdrawal order, and why the real first question isn't about the account at all.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.

Michael Decker, NSSA® walks through how much of the market's growth is riding on a handful of AI-related companies, and shares the story of the day he learned about risk the hard way, three stories up.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on the widow tax, and why a surviving spouse can end up taxed at close to double the rate on roughly the same income.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on what a financial advisor can actually offer that you can't get on your own, and where that access matters most.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on how Social Security timing can affects the rest of a retirement plan, well beyond just maximizing the benefit itself.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on tax planning for retirement savings under $1 million, and why the right approach is more subtle than it looks.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on whether he's concerned about the markets right now, and explains why a flat market worries him more than a crash.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on the most common leaks he sees in a retirement plan, and the first one is tied to how much AI exposure people don't realize they have.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? 
Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Michael Decker, NSSA® runs the same million-dollar IRA forward in two different ways, one converting aggressively to a Roth and one does not. Only one of them still has money left at 95.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

How do you fit the large bills in your retirement plan? New roof? New car? 
Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on planning around a big one-time expense and why it may make more sense to be dynamic about your future expenses as opposed to trying to map everything out. 

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Don’t let yourself auto-renew your current plan. 
Big changes could cause you to want to shop this season before you commit. Michael Decker, NSSA® covers what's changing with Medicare this year.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Is there an AI bubble and if so, can you time your exit? 
Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer's question on whether he believes AI stocks are a bubble, and why he says timing the exit is nearly impossible, even for the best.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Where your money goes and when you want to pull it out shapes the planning on where you should place it in the first place. The 401(k) is only one place to save for retirement. 
Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on where to put retirement savings, and why the right answer depends on how old you are, when you want to retire, and what tax opportunities are available.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? Get the free book and...

There is no such thing as a perfect investment, product, or strategy, which is why the comparison between a 30-year treasury vs an indexed annuity is so interesting. 
Michael Decker, NSSA® takes a viewer question comparing a 30-year treasury bond to an annuity, and when you would consider one or the other and vice versa. 

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not fin...

Michael Decker, NSSA® walks through the tax risk, longevity risk, healthcare risk, and other risks unique to the spouse who lives longer, and what many people miss when putting together a retirement plan. 

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 

This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Michael Decker, NSSA® takes on a market-crash reserves question and a Roth conversion sizing question back-to-back, and why the right answer to each one depends entirely on the person asking.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 

This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Michael Decker, NSSA® answers a viewer question on retiring before 65, and how the options for covering healthcare before Medicare actually compare.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 

This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.

Michael Decker, NSSA® breaks down complicated investments like non-traded REITs, private credit, structured notes, and gold and crypto pitches, and the risk that gets left out of the sales pitch for each one.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 

This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.  

Michael Decker, NSSA® walks through annuities, options trading, and "be your own bank" life insurance, what that word "guaranteed" does and doesn't actually promise, and much more. 

Discover why you need a plan first, and then you can figure out which products are right for you and which products are wrong for you. 

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product? Get the free book and tools 👉https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This is for educational purposes only and is not financ...

Two viewers ask about protecting their money after death, one from Medicaid and one from the IRS. The answers are more restrictive than either expected.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product?  
Get the free book, access to tools, and more👉 https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This content is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

A high income earner asks about all the Roth conversion hype, and Michael Decker, NSSA® explains why her situation is when that advice falls apart.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product?  
Get the free book, access to tools, and more👉 https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This content is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

Michael Decker, NSSA® runs the numbers on a million-dollar retirement account and shows how the advisor fee is twice as expensive as what the government actually charged.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product?  
Get the free book, access to tools, and more👉 https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This content is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

There’s more to tax planning than looking at your income tax brackets Discover the different ways to take income and how to get the most out of your money while navigating different types of tax brackets.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product?  
Get the free book, access to tools, and more👉 https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This content is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

Many advisors talk about converting to a Roth before taxes go up. Michael Decker, NSSA® says most retirees with a million dollars or less should be doing something else entirely.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product?  
Get the free book, access to tools, and more👉 https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 
 
This content is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

Selling a rental property can trigger a bigger tax bill than most landlords expect, and Mike Decker walks through two lesser known ways to exit instead.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product?  

Get the free book, access to tools, and more👉 https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 

This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

One line on your tax return could be quietly costing you thousands a year, and Mike Decker ties it straight into the biggest Social Security filing mistake he sees.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product?  

Get the free book, access to tools, and more👉 https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 

This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

A question about retiring in your fifties and a question about hyperinflation turn out to have the exact same answer.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product?  

Get the free book, access to tools, and more👉 https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 

This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

Every retiree says the same four words about risk tolerance, and Mike Decker says all four of them miss the point.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product?  

Get the free book, access to tools, and more👉 https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 

This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

There's a retirement conversation almost no one wants to have. Skipping it is exactly how a surviving spouse ends up blindsided by taxes and decisions they were never part of.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product?  

Get the free book, access to tools, and more👉 https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 

This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. 

There's a version of the answer that would let you pay the least possible tax on your retirement money.

The following is from Mike’s weekly webinar.

Ready to build a retirement plan around your life, not a product?  

Get the free book, access to tools, and more👉 https://RetireOnTime.com/Free 

This is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.