Hi there,
If Retirepreneur feels like it's been changing a little lately, that's because it has.
If the last few months looked a little scattered from where you sit, they were. I tried a couple of different directions before landing back on what actually matters. Retirepreneur has my full attention now, more than it's had all year.
I'm in the middle of refreshing the brand, rethinking some of the content, and building the next version of what I want Retirepreneur to become.
And I've made one decision that I think will make everything simpler:
The Retirepreneur Hub is becoming the front door.
Instead of having calculators over here, articles over there, downloads buried in an email, and tools scattered around the site, my goal is to bring everything together in one place.
I'm not completely there yet. But we're getting closer.
One Resource Worth Checking Out
While I'm working on the next round of content, I wanted to point you toward something already inside the Hub: the Tax Guardrails Checklist.
If you're thinking about consulting, freelancing, starting a small business, or simply generating some additional income in retirement, there are a few financial tripwires worth understanding before the income starts showing up.
For example:
Self-employment income has another layer of tax. The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, generally applied to 92.35% of net self-employment earnings, with the Social Security portion capped at the annual wage base.
Marketplace health insurance changed in 2026. If you're using ACA coverage to bridge the gap until Medicare, managing your household income has become even more important. The enhanced subsidy rules that applied through 2025 expired, and the cap on repaying excess advance premium tax credits was removed for 2026.
Medicare is looking backward. Higher income today, including things like Roth conversions, capital gains, or business income, can affect Medicare Part B and Part D premiums two years later. For 2026 premiums, that generally means your 2024 tax return already set the number.
Working while taking Social Security can affect your checks before full retirement age. If earnings exceed the annual limit, some benefits may be withheld. Once you reach full retirement age, Social Security recalculates your benefit to give you credit for months affected by the earnings test.
The point isn't to memorize all of this.
It's to know enough to ask the right questions before making a decision.
That's why I created the checklist.
And That's Where the Hub Comes In
The Hub is becoming the place where I'm organizing everything I'm building around this idea of a second act.
You'll find:
Phased Retirement: resources for gradually transitioning out of full-time work rather than treating retirement like an on/off switch.
RP Calculators: tools to help you think through income gaps, Social Security timing, and other retirement decisions.
Content Library: articles and guides on soft retirement, phased retirement, and creating income after a traditional career.
Resources: checklists, templates, and practical tools, including the Tax Guardrails Checklist.
Premium Tools: including the free Expertise Positioning Report, designed to help you see how decades of experience might translate into something valuable in the market.
And there's more coming.
That's actually where much of my attention is right now: creating the next generation of Retirepreneur content and making the Hub more useful every time you come back.
The goal is simple: fewer places to look and one place to start.
I'll have more to share as the refresh takes shape.
For now, take a look around the Hub. And if something is confusing, missing, or you think, Curt, you really need to build this, hit reply and tell me.
Those replies are helping shape what I build next.
The tax and benefit information above is for general educational purposes, not individualized tax, financial, or benefits advice. These rules can depend heavily on your individual circumstances, so talk with the appropriate professional before making a decision.
Still building.
Curt Roese, CPA | Retirepreneur.com
Retirepreneur | @Retirepreneur on YouTube