MoneyRx for CRNAs and NPs
Go behind the scenes with host Brett Fellows, CFP®, as he explores the unique opportunities and challenges facing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists and Nurse Practitioners along the path to financial independence. In each episode, Brett shares expert financial insights and actionable advice to help you lower taxes, invest smarter, and retire on your terms.
MoneyRx for CRNAs and NPs
5 Retirement Mistakes That Can Cost Nurses $$
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Most nurses arrive at retirement having done everything right for 30 years. The problem is not what they built. It is that nobody explained what happens when you have to start pulling money out.
In this episode, Brett Fellows walks through five retirement mistakes that look responsible from the outside and only reveal their cost much later. Most nurses are making at least two of them. Some are making all five. And the window to correct them is closing.
Brett covers:
- Why building only one tax bucket sets nurses up for forced income they never asked for at age 73
- The 457(b) that sits right next to the 403(b) at most hospitals and why it almost never gets used
- Why claiming Social Security early without a bridge account locks in a permanent 30% reduction worth $259,000 over 20 years
- How a taxable brokerage account can cut healthcare premiums by $12,000 to $18,000 per year before Medicare starts
- What it means to shift from accumulation thinking to distribution architecture and why that shift changes everything
- Sandra's story: the same NP, same income, two completely different retirement outcomes based on six years of intentional decisions
If you want to see what a distribution architecture looks like for your specific situation, visit oakcapitaladvisor.com to schedule a call. We work specifically with CRNAs and NPs.
#CRNAs #NursePractitioners #RetirementPlanning #TaxStrategy #457b
Key Timestamps:
(0:18) The problem no one warned nurses about
(2:24) Mistake 1: Building only one tax bucket
(3:32) IRMAA explained: the cliff most nurses never see coming
(4:36) Mistake 2: Not using the 457(b)
(6:55) Mistake 3: Claiming Social Security too early
(7:28) The $259,000 gap between 62 and 70
(8:39) Mistake 4: No taxable brokerage account
(9:50) Mistake 5: Staying in accumulation mode
(12:22) What a well-structured retirement actually looks like
(13:22) Meet Sandra: Path A vs. Path B
(16:22) Same person, same income, six years of intentional decisions
For more information and resources related to this episode, please visit the show notes.