As a fiduciary financial advisor in Mint Hill, Holland Capital helps people approaching 65 decide when to sign up for Medicare and how income choices now affect Medicare premiums later. We work with clients in Mint Hill by video and phone, and meet in person by appointment at our office in Ballantyne, about 24 minutes away.
Turning 65 brings Medicare decisions, even if you keep working.
About one in five Mint Hill residents is 65 or older. For someone about to join them, the year around that birthday comes with Medicare choices that have firm deadlines.
Some people are still working and covered through a job. Others have just retired. Either way, the timing of Medicare and the income you report in the years around it are connected.
It helps to plan that year before it starts.
When to Sign Up for Medicare
Your first chance to sign up runs for seven months around your 65th birthday: the three months before, the birthday month and the three months after.
If you or your spouse are still covered through a current job, you may be able to wait. When that coverage or the job ends, you usually get eight months to sign up for Part B without a late penalty. Whether you can wait depends partly on the size of the employer, so we check before you decide.
If you have a health savings account, contributions have to stop once Medicare coverage begins. When you sign up after 65, Part A can be retroactive, so the last HSA contributions need care.
Income Now, Premiums Later
Medicare premiums for Part B and Part D rise for people with higher incomes. The amount is based on your tax return from two years earlier.
That means a large Roth conversion, taxable gain from a home sale or a big IRA withdrawal at 63 can raise what you pay for Medicare at 65. If your income drops because you stopped working, you can ask Social Security to use the newer, lower figure.
We map your income year by year, so conversions and sales happen when they cost the least. Our guide on when a Roth conversion makes sense explains the trade-off.
RETIREMENT ENGINEERING™
The Order Matters
Five retirement decisions and why timing matters.
Social Security and Your Savings at 65
If you are already receiving Social Security before 65, Medicare Part A and Part B generally begin automatically at 65. Otherwise, you may need to sign up yourself.
Our guide on when to claim Social Security walks through the timing.
A written investment policy statement guides your savings. It sets aside cash for premiums and the first years of spending, and invests the rest for the decades after 65.
At Holland Capital, investment management at this stage also means watching the tax each withdrawal creates.
How We Work with Clients in Mint Hill
Holland Capital Management is an independent registered investment adviser and a fiduciary. M. Chad Holland, CFA, CFP® works directly with clients and is responsible for the planning and advice.
Bring your last two tax returns, a statement from each retirement account, your Social Security estimate and a summary of your current health coverage.
We sort out the Medicare dates, map your income for the next few years and point out any move that could raise your premiums.
The first conversation is free. If there is work worth doing after that, we will define the scope and cost before you decide whether to move forward.
Holland Capital is based in Charlotte, and our office in Ballantyne is about 24 minutes from Mint Hill. If you are looking for a fiduciary financial advisor in Mint Hill, we meet by appointment at 15720 Brixham Hill Avenue, Suite 300, and handle shorter check-ins by video or phone. Holland Capital does not maintain a branch office in Mint Hill.
Map and directions: Holland Capital Management, 15720 Brixham Hill Avenue, Charlotte.
We work with clients throughout North Carolina. You can see the other North Carolina communities we serve here.
Our what we do page explains how a planning engagement works.
RETIREMENT ENGINEERING™
The Order Matters
Five retirement decisions and why timing matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Talk to a Fiduciary Financial Advisor Before Medicare?
Holland Capital acts as a fiduciary when providing financial planning and investment advice. At 65, that means coordinating Medicare timing with your taxes, Social Security and savings.
We do not sell Medicare plans. If you roll a retirement account into an account we manage, our fee applies, and we tell you that first.
Can a Roth Conversion Raise My Medicare Premiums?
Yes. A conversion adds to your taxable income for that year, and Medicare looks back two years when it sets premiums.
Conversions can still make sense. We plan them with the Medicare premium effect in view before you decide.
How Far Is the Office from Mint Hill?
About 24 minutes. Meetings are by appointment at our Brixham Hill Avenue office.
Shorter follow-ups can be done by phone or video.
Photo: Algorhythms / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.
