See your own Social Security tax torpedo

For forty years the promise was simple: defer your taxes now, and you will be in a lower bracket when you retire. Almost no one is shown the stealth tax that can take that lower bracket away, a tax on your own Social Security check. The planners call it the tax torpedo. Put in a few rough numbers and see whether it is aimed at you, and what your real tax rate would be.

Are you married or single?The frozen lines are lower for a single filer, which is part of why this hits widows and widowers hardest.

Your annual Social Security benefitFor the household, in today’s dollars. This is the check the tax falls on.

Your other taxable incomeIRA and 401(k) withdrawals, pensions, part-time work, taxable interest. Everything except your Social Security.

Tax-exempt interest (optional)Municipal bond interest, if you have any. Leave blank if none. It still counts toward the line.

Where should I send your guide?

Drop your name and email and I’ll send you the short, plain-English guide to the tax torpedo: what your snapshot actually means, and the options most people are never shown. A few useful emails, no daily noise, one-click unsubscribe any time.

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Your snapshot just downloaded to your device, and the first email is landing in your inbox in the next few minutes. Peek in your spam folder just in case. Read it when you have a quiet moment.