Medicare is one of the most expensive and most misunderstood variables in any retirement plan — and most clients don't see it coming.
In this episode of The What If Show, Brooke Thomas and Steve Goldstein of Thomas Gold Solutions break down exactly why Medicare deserves its own dedicated chapter in every retirement plan you build. They cover the IRMAA surcharge tiers (and how a single dollar over the income threshold can spike a client's premiums), which types of income — including Roth conversions and capital gains — feed into that calculation, why the two-year look-back period creates planning blind spots, and how Medicare cost growth is quietly outpacing Social Security COLA increases in a way most advisors and clients haven't connected yet.
They also tackle this episode's Retirement BS myth: that Medicare is a fixed, predictable cost you simply check off at age 65. It isn't — and the math Steve walks through at the end of the episode shows just how much is at stake.
If you'd like the free IRMAA one-pager Thomas Gold has put together for advisors to share with their clients, email [email protected].
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: The What If Show
00:07 – Welcome to Episode 5
00:53 – Why Medicare Is One of the Biggest Retirement Variables
01:33 – Healthcare Inflation: 5–7% vs. the 3.2% Average
03:29 – IRMAA Explained: What It Is and Why It Matters
05:44 – The IRMAA Tiers: From $202.90 to $689.90 Per Month
09:24 – The Cliff Tier Trap: $1 Over the Limit Changes Everything
10:55 – Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D: A Clear Breakdown
14:21 – Enrollment Timing and Late Penalty Warning
16:23 – How Retirement Analyzer Automates IRMAA Calculations
18:40 – What Counts Toward Your MAGI (Roth Conversions, Capital Gains & More)
19:20 – Why Spreadsheets Fail and Purpose-Built Software Wins
23:08 – The Quiet Retirement Killer: Medicare Costs vs. Social Security COLAs
26:12 – Scenario Planning: Why Where You Retire Affects Medicare Costs
30:14 – 🚨 Retirement BS: "Medicare Is Just a Fixed Cost"
31:31 – The SSA-44 Form: How to Appeal an IRMAA Determination
34:17 – The Shocking Math: Nearly $1 Million in Lifetime Medicare Costs
35:10 – Audience Question + Call to Action
36:27 – Merch, Sneakers, and Hat Tips for Bald Men
The What If Show
What if your next client appointment was your best one yet?
The What If Show is the podcast for financial advisors and financial planners who want to show up to every client meeting with confidence, clarity, and a plan that actually answers the hard questions. Hosted by Brooke Thomas and Steve Goldstein and powered by the team at Thomas Gold Solutions the company behind Retirement Analyzer... each episode explores the strategies, tools, and mindset shifts that help advisors deliver better retirement planning outcomes for their clients.
Because in retirement planning, every client walks in with the same unspoken question: Am I going to be okay? The best advisors don't just answer that question — they answer every "what if" that comes with it.
From debunking retirement planning myths in the Retirement BS segment to deep dives with industry experts, practitioners, and the people behind one of the most advisor-trusted planning platforms in the country, The What If Show gives you the insights and inspiration to become the advisor your clients can't stop referring.
New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe now and start answering the what ifs with confidence.
Brooke Thomas is the co-founder of Thomas Gold Solutions and one of the most experienced voices in retirement planning software in the financial services industry. Her story with Retirement Analyzer starts at the very beginning — she was the first person recruited by RA's original creator, Chuck Cravens, to test whether the platform could work for someone brand new to the business. At 23 years old, fresh out of college, with zero sales experience, Brooke went out and proved it could, turning over $150,000 in commissions in her first year.
That experience — knowing firsthand what it feels like to sit across from a client and need the right answer right now — shapes everything about how Thomas Gold operates today. Brooke oversees training, customer support, and product development with one guiding principle: advisors deserve a partner who actually picks up the phone.
Steve Goldstein spent 22 years as a trader on Wall Street before the market changed and he decided it was time to change with it. He became a financial advisor in the early 2000s — and quickly discovered that what he loved most about the work wasn't the products. It was the teaching. The moment a client actually understood their financial picture. The aha.
That obsession with clarity led him to Retirement Analyzer, and eventually to co-founding Thomas Gold Solutions with Brooke Thomas in 2010. Today the company serves more than 6,000 financial advisors and Steve is still the one who answers the phone on a Saturday morning from the aisle at Costco if that's what it takes. He travels the country leading bootcamps and training sessions with one mission: helping advisors become the most confident, capable version of themselves in every client appointment.