When Andrew Winnett’s father passed away at age 45, the tragedy didn’t end with the funeral. For his mother, it was the start of a long, uphill battle against a financial system that wasn’t built for her. She was a stay-at-home mom who had dedicated twenty years to her family. Suddenly, she was forced back into a workforce that only offered minimum wage. While she was working on her feet all day, her modest retirement savings were being whittled away by “silent” advisor fees and a market that was far too volatile for a single woman on a fixed income. Andrew watched this struggle first-hand, and it changed him. He decided that he would never be involved in losing a client’s money. Ever.
That promise is the heart of Retirement Renegade. We aren’t like the big, cold institutions that treat you like a number on a spreadsheet. We champion the underdog retiree. We understand that retirement isn’t just about the math; it’s about the people. And in 2025, one of the biggest threats facing retirees—especially those who have lost a partner—is a quiet, systemic trap known as the Widows Tax. If you haven’t heard of it, you aren’t alone. Most traditional advisors don’t bring it up until the tax bill arrives, but by then, it’s often too late to fix.
The 2025 tax shift you can’t ignore.
The IRS has a very specific way of looking at surviving spouses, and it isn’t very kind. For the year your spouse passes, you can usually file as “Married Filing Jointly.” This gives you one last year of protection under the wider tax brackets and the larger standard deduction. But once that grace period ends, the floor drops out from under you. In 2025, the standard deduction for a married couple is $31,500. For a single person, it’s cut exactly in half to $15,750.
Think about the reality of that shift. You’ve likely lost one of the two Social Security checks coming into your home. You might have lost a portion of a pension. Your household income has gone down, but your tax-free protection has been slashed by 50%. It doesn’t make sense, but it’s the law. This is why understanding the Widows Tax 2025: After a Spouse Dies is so critical for anyone planning for the long haul.
When you move from a joint filer to a single filer, you also hit higher tax rates much faster. A single person in 2025 hits the 22% tax bracket at just over $48,000 of taxable income. A married couple doesn’t hit that same wall until they pass $96,000. You could be making less money than you were a year ago and still end up in a higher tax bracket. It’s a “silent penalty” that punishes you for a situation you didn’t choose. Andrew’s mother felt this squeeze, and it’s why he’s spent his career building a firm that fights back.
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Why the “Buy and Hold” model is broken.
The traditional financial industry loves to tell people to “stay the course.” They want you to leave your money in the market through thick and thin because that’s how they keep collecting their fees. They call it “diversification,” but in reality, it’s just a way to make sure you’re taking all the risk while they take a guaranteed cut.
We don’t believe in that. We think “buy and hold” is a gamble that seniors shouldn’t be forced to take. Once you hit the “Red Zone” of retirement—the five years before and after you stop working—you don’t have time to wait for a market recovery. If the market drops 30% like it did in 2008, and you’re also dealing with a higher tax bracket because of the Widows Tax, your nest egg can disappear faster than you can imagine.
At Retirement Renegade, we use a Multi-Dimensional Approach. We focus on principal protection above all else. We use hybrid contractual products that offer a No Market Risk Guarantee. This means that when the market goes down, you don’t lose a penny. When the market goes up, you still get to participate in that growth. It’s the best of both worlds. It gives you the “Safe Money” silo that pays you for the rest of your life, regardless of what the Wall Street roller coaster is doing.
The silent killer: Advisor fees.
One of the things that made Andrew most furious when he was starting out was seeing how much money was being drained out of retirement accounts in the form of fees. Most advisors charge what’s called an AUM (Assets Under Management) fee. They take 1% or 2% of your total account value every single year. They get paid when you win, and they get paid even more when you lose because they’re still taking their cut of what’s left.
We think that’s wrong. We have a No Advisor Fee Guarantee. We are paid by the institutions and insurance providers, not by taking a bite out of your portfolio. This means more of your money stays in your account. Over ten or twenty years, that 1% fee can add up to tens of thousands of dollars. When you’re dealing with a reduced income after a spouse dies, every single dollar matters. Keeping those fees in your pocket is a key part of our strategic retirement tax planning process. We want to make sure the money you worked for stays with you.
Guarantees for the road ahead.
We also look at the parts of retirement that people don’t like to talk about. What happens if you get sick? What happens if you need help at home? Most people are told to buy expensive long-term care insurance policies that have premiums that go up every year. We take a different route. We look for plans that include free long-term care coverage as part of your retirement strategy.
This is especially important for a surviving spouse. When you don’t have a partner there to help you navigate a health crisis, the costs can be overwhelming. We build those protections in from the start so you never have to worry about being a burden to your kids or running out of money because of a medical bill. It’s about retiring with more than just your dignity. It’s about having a financial fortress.
We provide our clients with access to over 75 institutions and more than 1,200 products. We aren’t tied to one company, which means we can shop around to find the exact right fit for your unique situation. We are a fiduciary financial advisor for survivors because we believe you deserve an advocate, not a salesman. We use “movie sessions” and educational guides to empower you so you can make decisions with confidence. No corporate fluff, no high-pressure tactics—just a Relationship Sit-Down where we listen to what matters to you.
Taking the first step.
The looming storm in Washington isn’t going away. Tax hikes are on the horizon, and Social Security is constantly under the microscope. If your current plan doesn’t account for the Widows Tax and the shift in tax brackets, you don’t really have a plan. You have a hope. And as Andrew learned from his mother’s experience, hope isn’t enough when the bills come due.
You’ve worked hard for your money. You’ve put in the years, the sweat, and the sacrifice. You shouldn’t have to spend your retirement worrying about whether you’ll outlive your money or whether the government will take more than its fair share. You deserve a partner who is a renegade—someone who is willing to do things differently to get you the results you need.
Let’s sit down and look at your “Safe Money” strategy. Let’s make sure your principal is protected, your fees are gone, and your taxes are minimized. You don’t have to be a victim of the system. You can be the architect of your own future.
