The Now / Soon / Later framework

Bucket Planning

Thomas's signature framework — Now for liquidity, Soon for a guaranteed income floor, Later for growth.

Articles

Bucket Planning, explained

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Retirement Income Coordination

The Social Security Family Maximum — When Household Claiming Hits the Cap

Most retirement content quietly assumes household Social Security stacks cleanly — worker plus spouse plus each child at full theoretical share. It doesn’t. The

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Retirement Income Coordination

Downsizing in Retirement: The Financial Case for Right-Sizing Your Home

Alt text: A well-kept smaller home with a sold sign in a walkable retirement-friendly neighborhood. Downsizing in Retirement: The Financial Case for Right-Sizin

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Retirement Income Coordination

Social Security Suspension: When It Still Makes Sense

Voluntary suspension after Full Retirement Age can lift a Social Security benefit by 8 percent for every year it stays paused — but the version that survived th

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Retirement Income Coordination

Reverse Mortgages: When They Make Sense and When They Don’t

Reverse Mortgages: When They Make Sense and When They Don’t Table of Contents What Is a Reverse Mortgage (HECM)? How Reverse Mortgages Work: Your Payment Option

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Retirement Income Coordination

The Best Order to Withdraw from Retirement Accounts

Key Takeaways The conventional wisdom — taxable first, tax-deferred second, Roth last — is a solid starting point but isn’t always optimal for every retiree in

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Retirement Income Coordination

Cash Reserves in Retirement: How Much Liquidity Do You Really Need?

Picture a hypothetical retired couple with $3.2 million in retirement savings. Nearly $900,000 of it is sitting in money market funds and savings accounts. They

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Retirement Income Coordination

Building a Retirement Income Floor: Guaranteed vs. Variable Sources

Key Takeaways Your income floor is the guaranteed income that covers essential expenses — housing, food, healthcare, utilities, and insurance — regardless of wh

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Retirement Income Coordination

Retiring Into a Down Market: A Hypothetical Case Study

Retiring into a down market can feel like a financial emergency. This hypothetical case study reveals the three strategies that helped one couple recover.

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Retirement Income Coordination

Annuities in Retirement: When They Help and When They Hurt

Annuities in Retirement: When They Help and When They Hurt Few words in financial planning stir up more debate than “annuity.” Some advisors swear by them as th

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Retirement Income Coordination

Retirement Paycheck Strategy: Building Income from Multiple Sources

The biggest shift in retirement is not financial — it is psychological. Your retirement paycheck strategy — how you coordinate multiple income sources into a re

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Retirement Income Coordination

5 Retirement Withdrawal Mistakes That Cost Thousands

These 5 common withdrawal mistakes can cost retirees tens of thousands over time. Learn the right order to draw from your accounts.

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Retirement Income Coordination

The Bucket Planning Approach to Retirement Income

Bucket planning gives retirees a clear system for turning savings into income. Learn how to set up your own three-bucket strategy step by step.

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Retirement Income Coordination

The Retirement Planning Window Most People Waste (And How to Use It Correctly)

Most people think retirement planning ends the day they retire. In reality, one of the most important planning opportunities doesn’t even start until after work

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Retirement Income Coordination

Maximizing Your 401(k) Contributions in 2025

An employer match isn’t a benefit — it’s a salary line you only collect if you contribute enough to trigger it. Most workers never max it out, then…

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Retirement Income Coordination

The Importance of Holistic Financial Planning for Retirement

A retirement plan that only covers savings and investments is half a plan. The other half — healthcare, taxes, claiming strategy, estate sequencing — is where m

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Where to start

Start free. Go as deep as you want.

Four ways to get your Social Security and retirement decisions right — beginning with the free guide and the free calculator, all the way to the book and the binder.

01Free

The free Social Security guide

The claiming questions most people get wrong — answered in plain English, with the numbers that actually move the decision.

Download it free→

02Free tool

The Social Security calculator

Run your own claiming scenarios in minutes and see what waiting — or filing early — is really worth to you.

Open the calculator→

03$8.99

Social Security Decisions Made Simple

Every claiming decision that matters — spousal, survivor, taxes, the earnings test — in one plain-English place, with current 2026 figures.

See the book→

04Printable

The Just in Case Binder

The printable that lets your spouse find every account, policy, and password — without guessing — when it matters most.

See the binder→

Keep exploring

The other retirement decisions.

Claiming & benefits

Social Security

When to claim, spousal and survivor strategy, the earnings test, taxes on benefits, and the costly mistakes to avoid.

Explore Social Security →

Income & withdrawals

Retirement Planning

Turning a lifetime of savings into a dependable retirement paycheck — sequencing, withdrawals, and an income floor that lasts.

Explore Retirement Planning →

Coverage at 65+

Medicare & Healthcare

Choosing the right coverage, avoiding IRMAA surprises, and planning for healthcare costs in retirement.

Explore Medicare & Healthcare →

Keep more of it

Tax-Smart Retirement

Roth conversions, withdrawal order, RMDs after 73, and keeping more of every retirement dollar.

Explore Tax-Smart Retirement →

Staying the course

Markets & Investing

Market context for retirees and the psychology of staying invested through volatility.

Explore Markets & Investing →