Getting a tax deduction today feels smart. But what if the strategy you’ve been told will “save you money” is quietly setting you up to pay far more over your lifetime?
In this episode of The Divorce the IRS Podcast, we tackle one of the biggest myths in retirement planning: the belief that you’ll automatically be in a lower tax bracket when you retire.
It sounds logical. You stop working, your income drops, and therefore your taxes drop too. But for disciplined savers — especially those consistently contributing to traditional 401(k)s and IRAs — that assumption often doesn’t hold up.
We walk through detailed, real-world numbers showing how tax-deferred investing can function more like a loan from the IRS than true tax savings. When you contribute pre-tax dollars, you’re not just deferring taxes on what you put in — you’re deferring taxes on decades of compounded growth. That future liability can grow into what we call a “tax time bomb.”
Using a 30-year example, we show how someone can save roughly $165,000 in taxes during their working years — only to pay back hundreds of thousands, or even close to a million dollars, in retirement. Even when assuming lower returns or conservative withdrawal strategies, the math often still favors the IRS.
We also discuss why many retirees don’t actually end up in lower brackets. The deductions that helped during working years often disappear. Tax rates are controlled by the government — not you. Social Security can become taxable. Medicare premiums can increase. And required withdrawals can force income higher than expected.
You’ll learn:
This episode introduces the concept of the eight tax time bombs that can quietly explode in retirement if you’re not planning properly. In the episodes ahead, we’ll break down each one and show you how to defuse them.
The goal isn’t to say tax deferral never makes sense. It’s to challenge the assumption that it automatically does. Your tax bracket today is only part of the story. Your lifetime tax bill is what really matters.
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