It’s no secret that the retirement planning landscape has changed dramatically. Just a generation ago, savers could rely on pensions, consistent market growth, and relatively stable tax environments. Today, those assumptions are outdated.
Savers now face a new set of retirement realities: longer life expectancies, the decline of employer-sponsored pensions, market uncertainty, and rising tax liabilities. These changes have introduced new risks into retirement and a new urgency for strategic planning.
For financial advisors, these shifts are not just challenges. They are opportunities to lead. By helping clients navigate the new rules, you have a unique chance to build trust, deliver real value, and grow your practice.
So where do you start? Like most effective planning strategies, it begins with education.
That’s where The New Rules of Retirement Saving comes in. This easy-to-read, client-friendly book helps pre-retirees understand how the tax code has shifted, what that means for their nest egg, and how they can take action before it’s too late. It is more than a book. It is a powerful tool to spark conversations and drive smarter planning.
Here are three key insights from the book that can help you attract, educate, and engage clients:
1. Traditional Retirement Accounts Are a Tax Time Bomb
Many savers have diligently saved in tax-deferred vehicles like401(k)s and IRAs. But few understand the true nature of these accounts. They are not just savings accounts. They are tax postponement tools. And eventually, the bill comes due.
The New Rules of Retirement Saving walks readers through the mechanics of these accounts and reveals how Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), changing tax rates, and inherited IRA rules can create a perfect storm of taxation in retirement.
Advisors can use this insight to shift the conversation. It is not just about saving more. It is about saving smarter and avoiding avoidable taxes through strategies like Roth conversions, tax diversification, and income planning.
2. Tax Policy Is Changing and Clients Must Act Before It Does
The book makes one thing clear: tax rates are not set in stone. And now, with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, the rules have officially changed. Many of the favorable tax provisions introduced under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act have been rolled back or replaced. Higher tax brackets, new limits on deductions, and expanded surtaxes are now part of the retirement planning landscape. Check out this recent webinar from our CEO, Becky Swansburg, on the OBBB and how it is going to impact your clients.
The New Rules of Retirement Saving helps clients understand that the old “wait and see” approach no longer applies. The changes are already in effect, and the cost of inaction is no longer theoretical. Acting now, with the new tax law in place, allows savers to reposition assets, reduce long-term tax exposure, and build a more resilient retirement strategy.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its simplicity. It uses plain language, visual models, and real-life examples to explain the complex tax traps hidden in traditional retirement strategies.
Clients walk away from the book with clarity, not confusion. They begin to see the value of taking control and the benefit of working with someone who understands the new rules.
As an advisor, this means more productive meetings, better questions, and faster decision-making. Clients are no longer reacting to headlines. They are engaging in informed conversations based on clear, strategic goals.
Bottom Line: A Tool to Elevate Every Conversation
This isn’t just a book. The New Rules of Retirement Saving is a conversation-starter that helps advisors guide clients through today’s most pressing retirement risks.
It helps clients recognize that the old rules no longer apply. More importantly, it gives them a sense of control and shows them that they do not have to figure it out alone.
If you are hosting educational events, nurturing leads, or meeting with new prospects, consider using this book to enhance your process. It turns complex tax risks into clear takeaways and puts you in the advisor’s seat, right where your clients need you to be. Request your complimentary copy here.
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.
