Hundreds of advisors took to Capitol Hill this week as part of NAIFA’s annual Congressional Conference.
As a former Capitol Hill staffer myself, I’m always deeply moved by the number of advisors who take time away from their practices to participate in this event. Traveling to Capitol Hill to meet with Members of Congress and advocate for the needs of our industry and U.S. savers is an essential part of what makes our democracy thrive and our people succeed.
If you haven’t checked out the important work NAIFA is doing in our nation’s capital on our behalf, you can learn more here.
Neil Wilding and I were fortunate to speak at the conference. We discussed several risks we foresee coming from Washington, including rising taxes, increases in income-based fees like IRMAA, and potential legislative changes affecting IRAs. And, of course, we also shared some strategies for advisors like you to help clients navigate and overcome these risks.
I want to highlight a couple of big issues Neil and I discussed at the conference… and you’re in luck! Even if you weren’t able to attend in Washington this week, you can still learn about these pressing risks. I’ve linked to some recent posts we’ve written on these hot topics:
1 | What’s Happening with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA)
As we were traveling to Washington on Sunday, the House was meeting in a rare weekend session to pass their “Big, Beautiful” tax bill to the floor. This bill passed the full House earlier this week. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (aka, the Trump Tax Cuts) is set to expire at the end of December, so Republican leadership in the House and Senate are hard at work to get an extension across the finish line this year. You can find an overview of what’s at stake here.
2 | Why IRMAA May Be the Most Important Educational Topic of 2025
The IRMAA surcharge some savers experience on their Medicare Parts B and D premiums is troubling for two reasons: First, many savers don’t know it exists and aren’t prepared to address it. Second, IRMAA fees are likely to rise in the years ahead and be applied to a larger swath of the U.S. public – meaning even if your client isn’t impacted today, they could be in the future. Here’s an overview of IRMAA, and here’s a primer on why IRMAA fees are certainly going up (spoiler alert: the government has already told us they will).
3 | What Makes 2025 the Year of the Roth Conversion
As savers increasingly look to mitigate tax risk in retirement, Roth conversions are growing in popularity (up 40% year over year in 2024 alone). But Roth conversions aren’t as simple or straightforward as many savers (and advisors) think.
There are three key areas that need to be analyzed to optimize a client’s Roth approach: taxes, IRMAA, and conversion pattern. Here’s an overview of each. (Of course, I’m going to plug Stonewood’s new Roth Done Right software. It’s a powerful Roth optimization tool analyzing all three key areas. You can check it out here and request a sample analysis for one of your clients.)
Neil also shared some of the top Roth conversion myths and how to dispel them for your clients. Even if you weren’t at NAIFA, you can read all about these myths here.
Feeling a little FOMO about missing all that learning at the NAIFA Congressional Conference? We’ve got you covered.
Stonewood is hosting our Virtual Innovate conference next month, where we’ll be covering all of these topics and more. To participate, you can register here and get ready to learn from the comfort of your home or office. (And as a special thank you to our loyal blog readers, we are waiving the registration fee. Simply select “Referral – Stonewood” when you check out to gain FREE access!)
One of the strongest reassurances we can provide our clients this year is confidence that their retirement is protected – regardless of what happens in Washington.
And it’s our responsibility – along with great national organizations like NAIFA – to make this a reality.
Free Study Group Replay
How Stonewood Advisors Stay Ahead of the Next Planning Conversation.
Watch a recent Stonewood Study Group focused on the legacy planning conversation. You’ll see how Stonewood helps advisors break down timely planning topics, client conversation angles, and practical strategies you can put to use immediately.
Expert insights. Real strategies.
Study Group Replay
Timely planning topics
Real client conversation angles
Practical strategies you can use
Real Advisors. Real Results.
See how advisors are using Stonewood software to win larger cases and deliver better
outcomes for their clients.
An advisor was working with a prospect who was a real "do-it-yourselfer" when it came to Roth conversions.
The client was converting assets up their existing tax bracket – and hadn't considered any impact to
IRMAA.
With Roth Done Right, the advisor was able to show an alternate pattern that sped up the conversion to
6 years. The new structure offered $30,000 savings in conversion taxes – a 20% reduction on the
prospect's conversion tax bill. The report also showed hundreds of thousands of dollars in long-term
tax and IRMAA savings from the converted assets – an amount the prospect hadn't been able to quantify
on his own.
Outcome
A new client with $1M in new AUM, and a $1M FIA sale to fund the conversion process.
An advisor was working with a prospect who already had assets with Ken Fisher. Fisher's team presented a
5% systematic withdrawal projection, so the advisor needed a stronger way to frame the income
conversation.
Using the Annuity Alpha report, the advisor showed how an annuity could deliver over 8% in annual cash
flow with lifetime income, plus a long-term care doubler. The contrast was clear enough that the prospect
moved forward.
Outcome
$1.5M placed and a $100K in new business revenue.
An advisor was working with a 58-year-old couple with an established, well-funded retirement income plan,
leaving an additional $3M IRA to build out a legacy for the kids. The couple's existing advisor had no
real additional plan for this money, other than to keep it in their managed account and grow that money as
much as possible for the kids.
Using the Legacy Done Right report, the advisor showed the need for tax planning on this $3M IRA.
According to the advisor, the simple analysis "opened up the wallet" to the Roth conversion story. The
advisor then used the blended Roth/Life feature in the report to show a blend of Roth Conversion assets
with some Life Insurance to help maximize the client’s legacy.
Outcome
$3M in motion. The advisor picked up a $1.5M FIA sale that will be converted to Roth. And the advisor
also sold a 5-Pay Protection focused IUL policy at $225,000 of premium per year.
An advisor group incorporated the Total Tax Burden report into the strategy presentation for all new
prospects. They ran the tax snapshot for every new client as part of their first meeting conversation,
quantifying the growing tax burden of IRA money – and illustrating the kinds of tax savings possible
when working with their firm.
Starting in January of 2023, this simple analysis was presented to every single prospect who walked in
the door. The goal was to differentiate their practice and drive overall revenue growth through various
Roth conversion strategies.
Outcome
From 2022 to 2025, new annual AUM rose from $5M to $50M. Annual FIA sales rose from $3M to $35M.
And annual life premium rose from $50K to $1M.
.png)
The IRMAA surcharge some savers experience on their Medicare Parts B and D premiums is troubling for two reasons: First, many savers don’t know it exists and aren’t prepared to address it. Second, IRMAA fees are likely to rise in the years ahead and be applied to a larger swath of the U.S. public – meaning even if your client isn’t impacted today, they could be in the future. Here’s an 
There are three key areas that need to be analyzed to optimize a client’s Roth approach: taxes, IRMAA, and conversion pattern. 
Stonewood is hosting our Virtual Innovate conference next month, where we’ll be covering all of these topics and more. To participate, you can 
