Tax-Protected Income Blueprint

Your retirement tax picture, mapped out — before it costs you.

Most people arrive at retirement with a solid sense of what they've saved. Very few have a clear picture of what they'll keep. The gap between those two numbers is almost entirely a tax problem — and it's almost entirely avoidable with the right plan in place.

The window most people miss

Between the day you stop working and the day your Required Minimum Distributions begin, something unusual happens: your taxable income often drops to its lowest point in decades. Social Security may not have started yet. Your RMDs haven't kicked in. Your bracket is temporarily smaller than it will ever be again.

This window — often two to eight years long — is the single best opportunity in most people's financial lives to restructure their retirement accounts at a lower tax cost. Miss it, and the IRS takes the difference. Use it, and the savings can run well into five figures over the course of retirement.

The challenge is that acting on it requires a precise, multi-year plan. The decisions interact — Roth conversions affect IRMAA thresholds, which affect Medicare premiums, which affect what you can convert the following year. You cannot optimize one piece in isolation.

Example household

Tom and Linda — recently retired, Northern Virginia

Ages 64 and 62. Traditional IRA of $1.4M. Taxable brokerage account. Social Security deferred to full retirement age. Small pension covering a portion of fixed expenses. No current tax plan beyond "don't convert too much."

Without a structured conversion plan, Tom and Linda's IRA will grow — through market returns and deferred compounding — to the point where their RMDs push them into a significantly higher bracket beginning at age 73. The tax bill they avoid paying now becomes a larger tax bill they cannot avoid later. A coordinated Blueprint identified over $80,000 in projected tax savings over a 12-year window, without changing a single investment.

Who needs this

You are likely a good candidate for the Blueprint if most of the following describe your situation:

  • ✓ You are within five years of retirement, or you have retired within the last few years
  • ✓ The majority of your retirement savings is in traditional, pre-tax accounts (IRA, 401k, 403b)
  • ✓ You have not yet claimed Social Security, or you claimed it recently
  • ✓ You do not currently have a multi-year Roth conversion plan in place
  • ✓ You are concerned about RMDs, IRMAA surcharges, or the long-term tax cost of your accounts
  • ✓ You want a written, specific plan — not general guidance

What you receive

The Blueprint is a written planning deliverable of approximately 15 pages, produced by a CPA using professional tax planning software. It covers your situation specifically — not a generic template filled in with your numbers.

01
Income floor analysis
02
Multi-year tax projection
03
Year-by-year Roth conversion plan
04
IRMAA and ACA analysis
05
RMD projection and impact
06
Implementation roadmap

The deliverable is yours to keep, share with your accountant or financial advisor, and return to each year as your situation evolves.

How it works

1
Application
A short written application describing your situation. I read it personally and confirm whether the engagement is a good fit before we proceed.
2
Discovery call
A 60-minute call to gather the details needed to build your plan — income sources, account balances, spending expectations, and goals.
3
Planning work
I build your Blueprint using tax planning software and the full income-protection framework. Turnaround is typically two to three weeks.
4
Delivery call
We meet to walk through the deliverable together. You leave with a clear picture of your tax landscape and a specific plan for the years ahead.
$3,500 · one-time engagement
Three to four weeks from discovery call to delivery. Payment collected after application is accepted.

This engagement is not for everyone

The Blueprint is not the right fit if:

  • — Most of your savings is already in Roth accounts — the conversion window is less relevant to your situation
  • — You are more than ten years from retirement — the near-term planning levers are not yet visible
  • — You want ongoing advice rather than a defined engagement — that is the Ongoing Advisory, available to Blueprint graduates
  • — You want to understand the framework yourself, rather than have the work done for you — the Coached Blueprint is the better fit

Common questions

Does the $3,500 include implementation — converting accounts, moving money?
No. The Blueprint is a planning deliverable. Implementation — opening Roth accounts, executing conversions, coordinating with your custodian — is handled separately, either by you or through an ongoing advisory relationship.
I already have a financial advisor. Do I still need this?
Possibly. Most financial advisors manage investments; very few produce detailed multi-year tax projections or Roth conversion plans. If your advisor has given you a specific, year-by-year conversion strategy tied to your IRMAA thresholds and projected RMDs, you may already have what the Blueprint provides. If not, the two are complementary — many Blueprint clients share the deliverable with their advisor.
Is this tax preparation?
No. The Blueprint is forward-looking planning work — projections, strategy, and a roadmap. It is not a tax return and does not include preparation of any returns.
What if my situation is complicated — pension, rental income, business income?
Complexity is not a disqualifier. Describe your situation in the application and I will tell you honestly whether it is a good fit and whether the scope changes the fee.
Apply for the Blueprint

The application takes about ten minutes. I read every one personally and respond with my honest assessment of fit — including if I think you would be better served by the Coached Blueprint or by the free resources on this site.

Apply now →

Interested in building the plan yourself? See the Coached Blueprint. Looking at all options? Work with Phil →