Robert Brokamp

speaker

4,411 appearances 40 recordings 3 series first heard Oct 2025 last heard 19 Sep

Robert Brokamp’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

Trend

recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 40 in all, peaking in Aug 2026 with 5.

Appearances

newest first · ▶ plays the moment

Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing · In Retirement, More Spending Leads to Higher Taxes · 8 Aug 2026 podcast

It's also the one over which you have the most control, and that is your spending. matched

While working, the more you spend, the less you have left over to save. matched

Once you've retired, the more you spend, the higher your withdrawal rate, and the higher the chances that you'll deplete your portfolio. matched

Now that's all common sense, but there's one aspect about spending in retirement that is generally less appreciated. matched

The higher your expenses, the more you have to withdraw from your investment accounts. matched

This often results in higher taxes, which in itself is another expense that necessitates even more withdrawals, which then results in even more taxes, and so on. matched

To illustrate this, let's consider a hypothetical couple with the following particulars. matched

So each spouse is 66 years old. matched

They receive $40,000 a year from Social Security. matched

They claim the standard deduction for 2026, which is $32,200 for married folks, plus an additional $1,650 apiece for couples 65 and older. matched

They each also claim the $6,000 bonus senior deduction available to Citizen 65. matched

And older created by the one big beautiful bill. matched

However, as a married couple, it does begin to phase out at an adjusted gross income above $150,000. matched

And that figure is $75,000 for single filers. matched

And the rest of their income that they're going to need is going to be withdrawn from traditional retirement accounts, which will be taxed as ordinary income. matched

So using the 1040 calculator at DinkyTown.net, which is an excellent resource for all kinds of financial. matched

Financial calculators. matched

Here are this couple's estimated 2026 federal taxes based on different levels of annual income. matched

So, first off, if they keep their spending below $73,500 or so, their federal tax bill is zero. matched

That's thanks to a higher standard deduction and bonus that bonus senior deduction for the 65 and older crowd, the partially tax free nature of Social Security, and historically low tax rates in general. matched

Showing 661–680 of 4,411 · page 34 of 221