Tax & accounting services designed for retirees
Retirement should feel like the reward it is, not a second job spent untangling 1099s, RMD notices, and Social Security worksheets. Brammer, Begnaud, & Lattimore has guided Southeast Texas families through this exact transition since 1950, translating IRS rules on retirement income into decisions you can actually act on.
Our approach starts with a simple premise: your financial life doesn’t get simpler once the paychecks stop, so your CPA relationship shouldn’t either. We build a fixed monthly plan around your Social Security timing, pension income, and investment distributions, then stay in your corner all year, not just during the six weeks before April 15.
Whether you’re newly retired from a Beaumont refinery job or drawing a pension after decades teaching in a Port Arthur classroom, the tax code treats every dollar differently depending on where it came from. We sort through that for one predictable price each month.
Fixed monthly fees, no surprises
Nobody wants to second-guess picking up the phone to ask their accountant a quick question. Hourly billing punishes exactly the kind of year-round conversation retirees need most, so we don’t use it.
Every retiree client works under one flat monthly fee that covers tax planning, preparation, and the ongoing questions that come with managing Social Security, RMDs, and investment income. The fee is set before we start, and it doesn’t move because you called twice in March or asked us to review a 1099-R in October.
That predictability matters more once you’re living on fixed income. You can budget for accounting costs the same way you budget for insurance or property taxes: a known number, paid monthly, with no invoice waiting at the end of the year.
Year-round support for Social Security, distributions & investment income
Tax planning for retirees doesn’t end on April 15, because retirement income rarely arrives in one lump sum. Between Social Security, required minimum distributions, pension checks, and capital gains from your brokerage account, a decision made in July can change what you owe next spring. Here’s what we track for you, all year:
Social Security Taxation
We calculate how much of your benefit is taxable based on your combined income and flag strategies to keep more of it tax-free.
Required Minimum Distributions
Missing an RMD deadline triggers a 25% IRS penalty, so we track amounts and dates before they become a problem.
Pension & Annuity Income
Multiple income sources often mean under-withholding; we coordinate them so you’re not stuck owing a penalty at filing time.
Investment & Capital Gains Income
Sales and distributions get timed against your tax bracket, not just your account statements.
This isn’t a once-a-year conversation. It’s ongoing personal income tax planning that adjusts as tax law, interest rates, and your own spending needs change.
Real time financial visibility
Paper folders and shoeboxes of receipts don’t belong in retirement. Every client gets a secure online portal that shows account balances, filed returns, and open questions in one place, updated in real time instead of once a year at tax season.
Log in from your kitchen table or your phone at a grandchild’s baseball game, and you’ll see the same numbers your CPA sees. Upload a 1099 the day it arrives. Message your accountant directly instead of leaving a voicemail and waiting for a callback.
For a generation that didn’t grow up banking online, we’ve kept the portal simple: bank-level encryption on the back end, a short list of clearly labeled folders on the front end.
Stress-free guidance to protect what you’ve built
You didn’t save for forty years so a tax mistake could shrink it in one bad year. Our advisory conversations go beyond the return: how much you can safely gift to grandchildren, whether a Roth conversion makes sense this year, how a home sale or inheritance might shift your bracket.
These decisions rarely have a single right answer. They depend on your spending plan, your health, your family, and how you define a comfortable retirement. We walk through the tradeoffs in plain language, run the numbers both ways, and let you make the call with full information instead of a guess.
Legacy planning works the same way. If passing assets to children, grandchildren, or a favorite Port Arthur charity matters to you, we’ll walk you through the basics to help structure the gifts and distributions so more of it lands where you intend.
Frequently Asked Questions about accounting and tax services for retirees
Do I still need a CPA after I retire?
Yes, often more than before. Retirement income comes from multiple sources, Social Security, pensions, RMDs, and investments, each taxed differently. A CPA coordinates these so you avoid penalties, minimize taxes, and don’t get surprised by an unexpected bill in April.
How much of my Social Security benefit is taxable?
It depends on your combined income from all sources, including pensions and investment withdrawals. Up to 85% of your benefit can be taxable. We calculate your specific number and look for legal ways to lower it based on your full financial picture.
What happens if I miss my required minimum distribution?
The IRS charges a 25% penalty on the amount you should have withdrawn but didn’t, on top of the tax you already owe. We track RMD deadlines and amounts for every client so this penalty never becomes an issue.
Does Brammer, Begnaud, & Lattimore charge by the hour for retirement planning?
No. Retiree clients pay one fixed monthly fee covering tax planning, preparation, and year-round questions about Social Security, distributions, and investment income. The price is set upfront and doesn’t change based on how often you reach out.
Can you help decide if a Roth conversion makes sense?
Yes. We run the numbers against your current tax bracket, future RMD requirements, and estate goals to show whether converting now saves money long-term or simply moves the tax bill to a worse time. You make the final call with complete information.
Get started with a retirement tax consultation
Retirement tax planning works best before a decision is made, not after. If you’re weighing a Roth conversion, wondering how a pension buyout affects your Social Security taxation, or just tired of guessing what you’ll owe, a conversation with our Port Arthur team can settle it.
Let’s talk about your specific situation: your income sources, your goals, and the fixed monthly fee that covers your accounting from that point forward. No jargon, no surprise invoices, just a clear plan for the years ahead.
