About this episode

Wade Pfau and Alex Murguia discuss various retirement planning strategies and the importance of tax planning in this episode.

n this final part of the Retire With Style Live Q&A, Wade Pfau and Alex Murguia answer a wide range of retirement planning questions covering annuities and life insurance surrender charges, the financial impact of losing a spouse, Roth conversions as a hedge against the ”widow’s tax penalty,” tax-loss harvesting through direct indexing, dividend reinvestment strategies in retirement accounts versus taxable accounts, HSA withdrawal rules after age 65, and appropriate cash allocations in retirement portfolios. Throughout the discussion, they emphasize the importance of tax planning, understanding how different retirement income strategies align with personal preferences, and avoiding one-size-fits-all approaches when managing retirement assets and income. Listen now to learn more! Takeaways Surrendering an annuity early can trigger surrender charges, while permanent life insurance policies often take many years before cash value exceeds premiums paid. The death of a spouse can create significant tax challenges because the surviving spouse typically moves from married filing jointly to single tax brackets. Roth conversions can be an effective strategy for reducing future RMD burdens…

People in this episode

Hosts: Wade Pfau, Alex Murguia

Topics covered

• retirement planning
• tax planning
• investment strategies
• annuities
• life insurance
• cash allocation
• Roth conversions

Keywords

• retirement
• annuities
• life insurance
• tax-loss harvesting
• Roth conversions
• cash allocation
• widow's tax penalty

More episodes of Retire With Style

• Clarification on Ep. 237 HSA Rules for Beneficiaries · July 17, 2026 · 7 min
• Episode 237: Should You Spend Your HSA or Let It Grow? · July 14, 2026 · 45 min
• Episode 236: Are Annuities Better than Bonds in Retirement? · July 7, 2026 · 32 min
• Episode 235: Are Stocks Enough to Protect You From Inflation? · June 30, 2026 · 33 min
• Episode 233: Should You Worry About Social Security Running Out? · June 16, 2026 · 31 min

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