u/RU9901

Trying to put together a plan for funding expenses in 2027.

Current scenario:

• 66 y/o, Single filer, retired two years ago

• Trad IRA: $600k (80/20 - S&P 500 index fund/Fixed Income)

• Roth IRA: $30k (100% S&P 500 index fund)

• Taxable brokerage: $80k (100% S&P 500 index fund) (Lump sum investment of $77k, purchased May 2026)

• Annual expenses: $60k

• Annual Social Security at FRA (age 67): $41k

• Delaying Social Security until 70: Estimated annual benefit $50k

Plan for 2027:

• Delay Social Security until 2030 (Age 70)

• Pay expenses by drawing from Taxable brokerage and Trad IRA

2027 Estimated Tax Breakdown (using this tax calculator):

• Long term capital gains: $5k (Taxable brokerage withdrawal of ~$40k )

• Taxable IRA distributions: $30k (Trad IRA distributions of $20k & Roth conversions of $10k)

• Total income: $35k

• AGI: $35k

• Total tax owed after deductions and credits: $588

2027 Plan Goals:

• Minimize taxes by utilizing LTCG from brokerage (once lump sum investment is a year old, in May 2027).

• By keeping taxes under $1,000, avoid underpayment penalty and having to make any quarterly estimated payments. (Safe Harbor)

• Minimize RMDs (which begin in 2035 at age 75) with Roth conversions and drawdown of Trad IRA.

Notes:

• Will keep Roth conversions small each year going forward; to avoid the downside of a corresponding big tax hit, and towards keeping total taxes under $1,000 for the year.

• Would like to minimize RMDs as much as possible – as they will most likely exceed what I need to draw from Trad IRA for expenses.

• Not planning on any future QCDs or legacy considerations to factor into the equation.

• If 2027 plan is solid, I'll repeat it in 2028 and 2029.

Prior to retiring two years ago I had little to no knowledge of investing, optimizing taxes, retirement, etc. etc. So I've spent the last two years being like a sponge and trying to ramp up as much as possible. Using everything I've learned the last couple years – I put this plan together by the seat of my pants. So any critiques are appreciated.

How solid is the plan?

Analysts have projected the S&P 500 will end the year at 8,000.

17% gains for this year? I'll take it! After the last three years of some nice, healthy gains of 17, 23 and 24 percent respectively... another strong year of 17% gains would be sweet!

Is this prediction of 8,000 believable? You bet it is. Just look at earnings... they absolutely crushed it last quarter; and the S&P 500 has had positive, double-digit earnings growth for the last seven consecutive quarters. And CapEx/earnings are predicted to remain strong right through 2027.

Earnings drive bull markets. Plain and simple. That's the bottom line.

So for this 66-year-old, two-year retiree, who has had, and will continue to have, 100% of his equities in an S&P 500 index fund – all this is music to my ears. Like that Bob Marley song... "We're jammin'!!"

https://www.morningstar.com/news/marketwatch/20260625108/wall-street-is-coalescing-on-a-single-sp-500-target-the-power-of-round-numbers-is-irresistible

In early January 2025 my IRA was 80/20 equities/fixed income; with the equities being 100% S&P 500 index fund (VOO). At that time I took $20,000 in my IRA (3.5% of my portfolio) and bought a stock.

For the next 15 months, every time the stock gained ~$1,000, I would sell $1,000 of the stock and then put it back in VOO.

In the last 15 months:

• The stock has gone up ~44%.

• The S&P 500 index has gone up ~20%.

• I've sold a total of ~$7,000 of the stock, which was all subsequently reinvested back in VOO.

As a novice investor, I came up with this idea on my own 15 months ago. I believe it falls under the category of "Systematic profit-taking", or "Pruning/trimming stock gains incrementally over time."

As it turns out, so far, it looks like it was a good move. By buying the stock, I've made better use of that $20,000 in the last 15 months; versus having left the $20,000 in VOO. That's what the math is telling me anyway – a 44% gain, versus a 20% gain.

Was this in fact a good move? Am I looking at this right? Or am I missing something?

Long term goal is to continue taking incremental profits of $1,000 until I've regained my original $20,000 investment. At that point any additional gains going forward would be pure profit.

I made a recording of our band playing a song, and when you listen to it, the percussion is much too heavy. Due to the incorrect placement of the recording microphone - too close to the drums - the drums came out way too loud in the recording and they drown out everything else.

Is there a free website I can use to decrease the volume of the drums only, yet preserve the way the rest of the recording sounds?