Sean Mullaney's Blog

Fear is prevalent. ACA Premium Tax Credits are going away!!! The 400 percent cliff will ruin your early retirement!!! Neither of these is true. But the messages are out there. Yes, the Premium Tax Credit for 2026 is very unsettled. Could it create problems for early retirees in 2026? Yes. But now is the time […]

It’s that time of year again. The air is cool and the New York Jets season is over. That can only mean one thing when it comes to personal finance: time to start thinking about year-end tax planning. I’ll provide some commentary about year-end tax planning to consider, with headings corresponding to the timeframe required […]

It’s finally here! Tax Planning To and Through Early Retirement launches today, September 23rd. It’s available at Amazon and other online retailers. To mark the occasion, we discussed the book on yesterday’s episode of the ChooseFI podcast and today’s episode of the BiggerPockets Money podcast. We will be on several more podcasts in the coming […]

The tax planning world has changed. Have I and my fellow advisors caught up? Below I discuss three changes in the past three years. These recent changes make a big impact on retiree taxation. Most commentators and gurus have largely ignored these changes. The world has changed. It’s time for financial planners and tax advisors […]

Starting in 2026, those with significant prior year W-2 incomes must make catch-up contributions to 401(k)s and other workplace retirement plans as Roth contributions.  Mandatory Roth catch-up contributions deny many workers 50 and older a valuable tax deduction.  The new rule originates with SECURE 2.0, a component of the Omnibus bill passed in December 2022. […]

The tax laws have changed. Starting in 2025, those aged 65 at year-end can generally claim an additional deduction (referred to as the senior deduction or the Enhanced Deduction for Seniors) of up to $6,000 per person.  Below I discuss how to calculate the senior deduction, how to optimize planning for the senior deduction (starting […]

On July 4th, President Trump signed into law the reconciliation bill, commonly referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill. The Bill will drive a significant amount of my content creation this summer. On my YouTube channel, I will devote my Saturday videos to discussions of how the One Big Beautiful Bill impacts financial planning […]

If there is a single article of faith in the personal finance world, it’s you’ve gotta worry! IRMAA! RMDs! Widow’s Tax Trap!  You’re rich? Great, start worrying! There’s plenty to worry about.  Hopefully most long time readers and YouTube viewers know I’m kidding since I’m a glass half-full type. Today I tackle one worry that […]

The House of Representatives passed their version of the The One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Now it is onto the Senate. Below I discuss several ways the bill would help retirees if it enacted as is and provide thoughts on where we go from here.  Permanent extension of the 2017 TCJA greater standard deduction. Arguably […]

I have said the tax laws want you to retire early.  Counter to that point, the BiggerPockets Money podcast has warned that the tax laws are an effective bar to many retiring prior to age 59 ½. So who is right? The FI Tax Guy or Scott Trench and Mindy Jensen of the BiggerPockets Money […]