Topic
Tax Strategies
State-specific FIRE tax strategies for Roth conversions, capital gains, 72(t), and withdrawal sequencing.
FIRE tax planning is about sequencing. Roth conversion ladders, tax-gain harvesting, 72(t) distributions, ACA subsidy management, and brokerage withdrawals can all be useful, but the right order depends on income, state residency, account mix, and retirement horizon.
This hub keeps the strategy articles connected to the calculators. Use the articles for rules and trade-offs, then rerun the retirement calculators with after-tax spending estimates instead of treating gross withdrawals as spendable cash.
Tax Strategies
Dividends vs Total Return for Retirement Income: The Honest Comparison
Why a dividend-focused portfolio is not the same as a total-return portfolio in retirement, and what the math actually says about which one funds a longer retirement.
Tax Strategies
Social Security Timing and Withdrawal Strategy: When to Claim, When to Spend
How Social Security claim age interacts with portfolio withdrawals. Break-even math, portfolio relief, longevity hedging, and the case for waiting until 70.
Tax Strategies
Safe Withdrawal Rate for a 50-Year Retirement: What the Math Actually Says
An honest look at safe withdrawal rates over 50-year retirement horizons. Why 4% breaks, what to use instead, and the assumptions every long-horizon retiree should test.
Tax Strategies
Guyton-Klinger Retirement Rule: How the Guardrails Actually Work
A practitioner walkthrough of the Guyton-Klinger withdrawal rule. Initial rate, decision rules, prosperity vs. capital-preservation guardrails, and where it breaks.