The Tax-Smart Retirement Paycheck

^{A new book by Michael Ludwig, CPA/CFP®}Your savings are done growing. Now they have to pay you.

A structured, three-stage income system that turns a lifetime of saving into a paycheck you can count on — and accounts for taxes from the very first dollar.

Get the book

See what's inside

Written for people approaching or already in retirement, with assets to protect.

CPA & CFP®—a rare combination

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Taxes handled from the first dollar, not as an afterthought

^{The feeling this book names}
You did everything right. So why doesn't it feel like enough?

You saved consistently. You didn't panic in 2008 or 2020. By every reasonable measure you're in good shape — and yet you still check the market before your coffee, still hesitate at the restaurant, still run the numbers on a Sunday when nothing has changed.

That tension isn't a sign something is about to go wrong. It's a signal that something is already missing. Not money — structure.

^{The Core Idea}
Give every dollar a job — based on when you'll need it.

The strategies that build wealth during your working years can quietly work against you once you start withdrawing. The fix isn't better investments. It's a different design: three stages, each matched to a time horizon.

^{Stage One}
Income you can count on

Years 1-5

Near-term income, kept out of the market entirely. Its job is certainty, not growth — so a bad year can't touch the money you're living on.

Job: Certainty

^{Stage Two}
Keeping pace with your life

Years 5-15

Moderate, inflation-aware growth that replaces near-term income as it runs out — so rising costs don't quietly erode what you can afford.

Job: Consistency

^{Stage Three}
Let time do the heavy lifting

Years 15+

Long-term assets left fully invested, because they have the one thing growth needs: time. A correction in year three can't reach money you won't touch until year seventeen.

Job: Growth

^{Inside the Book}
What you'll walk away with

Why watching the market harder makes you poorer

The hidden tax of worry — and the mechanism (reverse dollar-cost averaging) that punishes retirees for the habits that built their savings.

The real cost of standing still

Roth conversion windows, RMD timelines, and IRMAA surcharges all have deadlines. Waiting isn't the conservative choice — it just feels like one.

How to build income that ignores the headlines

The three-stage structure, explained plainly enough to understand and specifically enough to act on.

Access before 59½ without the penalty

The Section 72(t) road most early retirees never find — and the tax coordination that makes withdrawals cost less.

Your Income Audit

A retirement income checklist that maps every dollar you have to the stage it belongs in — turning the framework into your numbers.

An honest fit test

Three questions to tell you whether this approach is right for you — because a strategy that doesn't match your values won't hold.

^{About the Author}
“I stopped seeing investment accounts and tax returns as separate problems. They are the same problem, and they need the same solution.”

Michael Ludwig is a CPA and a CFP® — an unusual combination. Most advisors do one or the other. For years he prepared tax returns and managed investments for the same households, seeing income, tax exposure, and portfolio all at once.

That vantage point changed how he thinks about retirement, and it's the foundation of this book: a framework clear enough to understand, specific enough to act on, and honest enough to tell you when it isn't the right fit.

Before You Read
Is this book for you?

This isn't for everyone — and the book says so plainly. Being honest about the fit is its own kind of clarity.

✓ This is for you if...

You're approaching retirement or already in it
You have investable assets and a real income gap to fill
You've saved carefully but never built a formal income plan
You want the daily market noise to stop running your decisions
You'd rather have a structure that holds than a strategy you second-guess

✓ This isn't for you if...

You're looking for investment tips or market predictions
You genuinely enjoy actively managing your own portfolio
Guaranteed income already covers nearly all your expenses
You want shortcuts — the book doesn't offer any
Locking money into time-based stages feels like a loss, not a relief

^{Start here — free}
Get the first chapter and the Income Audit checklist

Not sure yet? Read Chapter 1 — “The Hidden Tax of Worry” — and get the Income Audit worksheet to map where your own dollars sit today. We'll email both to you.

^{The next step}
The framework is the map. A conversation is where the plan begins.

The book gives you the structure. Translating it into a plan built around your specific numbers, tax position, and goals is a conversation — and the first one is complimentary.

Schedule a complimentary consultation Or start with the free chapter

Prefer to call? (630) 519-3131 · info@ludwigwm.com · ludwigwm.com

Ludwig Wealth Management

Your Retirement Deserves a Strategy®

Important disclosures. This book and page are for general educational purposes and do not constitute individualized investment, tax, legal, or insurance advice. No reader should rely on any example, strategy, projection, or calculation as advice specific to their situation. All client examples are composite illustrations based on patterns observed across multiple client experiences; they do not represent any specific individual, and all figures are assumed for illustrative purposes only.

All investment return projections and portfolio outcome illustrations are hypothetical and are not a guarantee or prediction of future results. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All investments carry risk, including possible loss of principal. Tax information — including references to Roth conversions, RMDs, IRMAA thresholds, and Section 72(t) — is general and educational only; tax laws are complex and subject to change. Consult a qualified tax professional before implementing any tax strategy.

Securities offered through Cetera Financial Specialists LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC. Cetera entities are under separate ownership from any other named entity. Michael Ludwig may receive compensation in connection with advisory and brokerage services provided through Cetera. A relationship summary (Form CRS) is available upon request or at ludwigwm.com. [Note to compliance: confirm exact Form CRS delivery method and current Cetera disclosure language before publication.]