Mike MilliganFounder and CEO, 1.oak Financial · Founder and CEO, 1.oak Financial

How to Buy Out Your "Silent Tax Partner" Before RMDs Hit

18 Sept 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:01

In this YouTube monologue, Mike Milligan frames required minimum distributions (RMDs) as a "silent tax partner" that quietly erodes retirement balances once payroll stops. He explains that the partnership has written, publicly available rules that allow retirees to buy out this partner during a specific window of years, provided they understand and apply those rules. Milligan introduces his "Retirement Handshake" playbook, which outlines a straightforward, non‑alarmist process for executing the buy‑out, emphasizing that money is a tool, not a battlefield, and that the approach is meant to be practical rather than emotionally charged.

Chapters

You defer, the market compounds, the balance grows. Then the paycheck stops and everything about the arrangement changes at once. The silent partner is no longer silent any longer. See, the partner was patient. And here's the piece most retirees never realize. The partnership has always had rules. They are in writing, they are published, they are free to read, and the partner has always been willing to be bought out On your terms during a specific window of years if you show up and use those rules. The Retirement Handshake is my playbook for that window. It's not a scare book. It's not one to elicit an emotional response for something that has traumatized someone in the past. It is a straightforward approach. It's a handshake book. See, money is a tool. It's not a battlefield.