The IRS Penalty Retirees Never See Coming (And How to Beat It) episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 29, 2026 · 21 MIN

The IRS Penalty Retirees Never See Coming (And How to Beat It)

from Retirement Starts Today

Every year, thousands of retirees pay an extra penalty to the IRS — and almost none of them see it coming. What catches them off guard isn't a penalty for owing too much. You can do everything right — claim Social Security at the right age, run picture-perfect Roth conversions, manage your withdrawals down to the dollar — and still get a letter from the IRS charging you extra. I reworked a framework from an article by Sheryl Rowling at Morningstar into four clean, completely legal ways to avoid getting tax penalties. After that, we've got a listener question: A retiree writes in and says, "I don't want to think about money. My plan is tested, I have enough — so what's a simple checklist I can use to stay on track?"  And to close the show, our Retire To Something segment where Clif traded his to-do list for a garden plot — and found community, leadership, and a whole lot of homegrown vegetables in the process.   Resource: Article by Sheryl Rowling at Morningstar: 5 Ways to Avoid Tax Penalties    Connect with Benjamin Brandt: Subscribe to the This Week in Retirement: http://thisweekinretirement.com Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com Work with Benjamin: https://retirementstartstoday.com/start Get the book!Retirement Starts Today: Your Non-financial Guide to an Even Better Retirement Follow Retirement Starts Today in:Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or iHeart  

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The IRS Penalty Retirees Never See Coming (And How to Beat It)

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