Single With a Pension + Roth Conversions

Work with me: https://farerfinancial.com/get-startedIf you're single, have a pension, and have been a diligent saver — the retirement tax advice you've been hearing was probably not built for you.Most retirement content assumes married couples. The brackets, the examples, the strategies — all of it is drawn up with two incomes, two Social Security checks, and twice the room to maneuver. When you apply that advice to your situation as a single pension holder, you don't get a slightly off answer. You get the wrong answer.As a single filer, you're working with roughly half the tax runway of a married couple — a narrower standard deduction, compressed brackets, and a lower Medicare surcharge threshold. And you have a pension that fills that narrower runway every single month before your savings do anything at all. That combination creates a tax problem that is more urgent for single pension holders than almost anyone else.In this episode, Cole breaks down why the generic "you'll be in a lower bracket in retirement" advice doesn't apply to single public employees, how the RMD collision plays out differently when you're filing alone, why the Medicare surcharge threshold hits single filers first, and why the window between retirement and RMDs at 73 is the most valuable planning asset you have right now.Topics covered:Why single filers face compressed tax brackets that cut the married filing jointly runway in halfHow a pension creates a permanent income floor that changes the entire Roth conversion calculationThe RMD collision — what happens when pension, Social Security, and forced withdrawals stack as a single filerIRMAA and why single pension holders hit the Medicare surcharge threshold faster than most people expectWhy being single is actually a planning advantage — complete control with no coordination requiredRoth conversions as the primary lever for managing a single pension holder's tax pictureThis episode is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute personalized investment, tax, legal, or insurance advice. Viewing this content does not create an advisory relationship. The strategies and examples discussed are hypothetical and for illustrative purposes only. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your specific situation.Farer Financial LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser registered with the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions.