Uncle Sam's IOU...and Your Retirement

America just officially crossed $40 trillion in national debt. Everyone's talking about the number — almost nobody's talking about what it means for your taxes, your income, and your ability to retire. This week we dig into Uncle Sam's IOU and how to build a retirement that can withstand it. The debt isn't a reason to panic. It's a reason to prepare.
 
On this week's Money On Tap, we break down how we got here — structural deficits across every administration, roughly $100 trillion more in unfunded liabilities, and debt service now among the largest line items in the federal budget — and why the fallout runs straight through your retirement plan. We make the case that taxes are already rising in plain sight (today's rates are among the lowest in 100 years, and bracket creep is a quiet raise nobody voted on), walk through the inflation math that can leave a retiree needing nearly twice as much money over 20 years, and then get practical: the stocks that win in a high-debt world, the dividend traps to avoid, bonds versus bond funds, when an annuity is a foundation instead of a product pitch, cash that actually earns near 4%, and the debt-resistant retirement portfolio, layer by layer.
 
What you'll learn:

• How we got to $40 trillion — and why the blame is thoroughly bipartisan
• The numbers that matter: debt past 100% of GDP, deficits near 6% of GDP, and ~$1.9 trillion in debt service
• Why taxes are historically low today — and how bracket creep raises them without a vote
• The retiree math: 2% vs. 4% inflation over 20 years, and why it's about income, not a number
• Sequence of returns risk — the reason a 9% average doesn't mean an 8% withdrawal
• Stocks for a high-debt world: low debt, strong free cash flow, moats, and sustainable dividends
• Dividend traps: when a high yield is a warning sign, not an opportunity
• Bonds vs. bond funds — and why owning to maturity changes the math
• Winners and losers if rates stay high, from banks and insurers to non-traded REITs
• Annuities done right: guaranteed income for core expenses so the rest can ride
• The debt-resistant portfolio: guaranteed income, safety, quality dividends, growth, inflation protection, and working cash

Plus Money In The News:

• Meta reaches an $18 billion settlement with 48 states over child-safety claims — default screen-time limits included
• Five smart ways to use high-yield savings accounts paying near 4% while banks average 0.38%
• Why the bond market may be resetting expectations about U.S. debt

Want a white paper on this week's topic? Email us at info@yourmoneyontap.com and we'll send it over.
 
Read our most recent Blog Post on this topic here: https://www.fmgwebsites.com/d772de05-9833-44e4-9676-f510f85cef74/blog/uncle-sams-iou-and-your-retirement-building-a-debt-resistant-portfolio
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Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tap
 
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Securities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Annuity guarantees are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurer. Figures cited are approximate as of the air date, drawn from sources believed reliable, and subject to change. Hypothetical examples are for illustrative purposes only. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

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