The IRS Is Now Taxing Your Hope: How 'Retirement Readiness Audits' Will Punish Dreamers Before They're Even Retired
“We’re not just taxing your earnings now. We’re taxing your expectations.” — IRS Commissioner, 2026 Budget Speech
If you’ve ever dreamed of retiring to a cottage in the Adirondacks and spending your days fishing, you may have just discovered that the IRS now views your “aspirational retirement lifestyle” as a taxable income stream.
That’s right. Beginning this year, the Internal Revenue Service has rolled out Retirement Readiness Audits (RRAs), a bureaucratic initiative designed to tax your hope before you’ve even retired.