The retirement decision nobody explains, until it costs you.
Medicare is one of the biggest financial decisions of your retirement, enrollment timing, plan selection, IRMAA premiums, and thirty years of healthcare costs. We don't treat it as a separate problem. We build it into the plan, where it belongs.
A two-week decision that shapes the next thirty years.
The average retiree turns 65, gets a flood of Medicare mailers, and makes the decision that will shape their healthcare costs for the next three decades in about two weeks, usually with no real guidance, often from a broker whose compensation depends on which plan they sell.
And the decision isn't just about which plan. It's about when to enroll, how it interacts with your income plan (IRMAA thresholds are real and expensive), and how to model thirty years of healthcare costs into your retirement plan, not treat them as a surprise expense you'll deal with later.
The scope, specifically.
The concrete work included in the Medicare Planning pillar. Scannable for the evaluator, substantive for the reader who wants detail.
Enrollment timing.
When to enroll in Part A and Part B based on your situation, still working, recently retired, with or without COBRA, with or without an HSA. Miss the window and you can be penalized for life.
Plan selection guidance.
Medicare Advantage versus Original Medicare plus a supplement isn't a universal answer, it depends on your health, your spending, your travel habits, and your tolerance for surprise bills. We help you think it through.
IRMAA planning.
Medicare Part B and Part D premiums are tied to your income from two years prior. Crossing an IRMAA threshold by a dollar can cost thousands. We plan around it, in coordination with the tax plan, not as a separate exercise.
Healthcare-cost modeling.
Thirty years of retirement healthcare costs belong inside your retirement plan, not as a vague assumption but as a specific, stress-tested line item that flexes with the rest of the plan.
Annual reviews.
Plans change every year. We review your coverage each enrollment cycle so you're never stuck in a plan that no longer fits, and so changes in your income don't surprise you with new IRMAA brackets.
Surviving-spouse coverage.
What happens to your coverage and your premiums if your spouse dies before you do? We plan for it before it's a question, coordinated with the income, tax, and estate plan, so the answer is already in writing.
Medicare touches every other pillar, and almost nobody plans for it that way.
Your income from two years prior sets your Medicare premiums. That means your income plan directly controls what Medicare costs you for life. We coordinate Medicare timing, plan selection, and IRMAA management inside the income strategy, so you don't pay more than you have to. Medicare also interacts with your tax plan (through Roth conversion timing) and your estate plan (through surviving-spouse considerations). A plan that doesn't address Medicare directly isn't a complete plan.
Sets your premiums
Your income from two years prior determines Medicare Part B and Part D premiums. Income planning controls what Medicare actually costs you for life.
Funds the bill
Healthcare is one of the biggest line items in retirement. Portfolio allocation has to anticipate it, not be surprised by it in year three.
Affects Roth timing
Roth conversions raise income, which can push you across an IRMAA threshold. The right conversion year depends on Medicare brackets, not just tax brackets.
Protects the surviving spouse
Coverage, premium changes, and required filings shift the moment one spouse passes. Estate planning that ignores Medicare leaves the surviving spouse to figure it out alone.
Real questions we answer with real plans.
A sample of the conversations clients have with us under this pillar. Not hypothetical, the actual shape of the work.
Concrete outcomes, not a sales sheet.
- Part A, Part B, and supplement plan selection timed to your retirement date.
- IRMAA projection and management (so your income plan doesn't trigger higher premiums).
- COBRA vs. marketplace vs. Medicare timing for early retirees.
- Annual plan review as your health needs and costs change.