Financial planning is a huge part of what we do here at Creekmur Wealth Advisors, so it's no surprise that tax planning is one area we spend a lot of time working in. When I talk about tax planning I am not talking about filling out and submitting your tax return every April 15^th. Filing your taxes is necessary, but it's reactive or backward-looking. Tax planning, on the other hand, is a forward-looking, comprehensive approach to reducing lifetime taxes and increasing overall after-tax wealth.

The SECURE Act - What you actually need to know. . .

This act intends to improve retirement security for Americans, with many new provisions for those saving for retirement. Of course, SECURE is actually an acronym: Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement. This act will affect most Americans eventually, and it is important that you understand its implications for your retirement. Here are four things you should know about the SECURE Act:

Some specifics about the "second act."

Does your vision of retirement align with the facts? Here are some noteworthy financial and lifestyle facts about life after 50 that might surprise you. 

Up to 85% of a retiree’s Social Security income can be taxed. Some retirees are taken aback when they discover this. In addition to the Internal Revenue Service, 13 states currently levy taxes on some or all Social Security retirement benefits: Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia. (West Virginia, incidentally, is phasing out such taxation.)¹

Perhaps both traditional and Roth IRAs can play a part in your retirement plans.

IRAs can be an important tool in your retirement savings belt, and whichever you choose to open could have a significant impact on how those accounts might grow.

It may need to be adjusted due to the 2017 federal tax reforms.

The Internal Revenue Service has a message for you. You may need to adjust the amount withheld from your paycheck or the size of your estimated tax payments because the agency is using new withholding tables this year. Should you underpay your taxes for 2018, you could be hit with a tax penalty in 2019.1