Clear explanations of Roth planning concepts, retirement-tax questions, and topics worth discussing with a qualified professional.
19 issues
Archive
An eligible 401(k) can often transfer to a Roth IRA. See when the plan may allow it and how pre-tax, Roth, and after-tax money differ.
There is generally no separate annual dollar cap on eligible Roth conversions. Learn what may be converted in 2026 and what can constrain the transaction.
Read issueLearn how a 401(k)-to-Roth IRA rollover may affect taxable income, brackets, withholding, state tax, Social Security, Medicare IRMAA, Marketplace credits, and tax reporting.
Read issueA Rule 72(t) calculator can illustrate three IRS payment methods, but it cannot determine whether a SEPP plan is suitable or safely administered. Learn the formulas, duration rule, and modification risk.
Read issueA qualified charitable distribution does not directly subtract Roth conversion income. Learn how the two transactions differ, how a QCD may satisfy an RMD, and which 2026 rules matter.
Read issueA taxable Roth conversion is generally ordinary income, not a capital gain. But it can fill taxable-income space, move long-term gains into a higher capital-gains band, and increase modified AGI used for the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax.
Read issuePost-2017 Roth conversions generally cannot be recharacterized as though they had originally gone to a Traditional IRA. Learn what that rule covers, what may still be recharacterized, and which situations require prompt fact-specific review.
Read issueLearn how taxable Roth conversion income may change ACA Marketplace Premium Tax Credits, advance-payment reconciliation, and the 400%-of-FPL limit in 2026.
Read issueLearn the difference between the Roth IRA qualified-distribution clock and the separate five-year period attached to each conversion.
Read issueLearn how previously taxed 401(k) contribution basis and related pre-tax earnings may be routed to Roth and Traditional IRA destinations.
Read issueLearn when the 10% additional tax can apply to a rollover, an unrolled amount, or a later Roth IRA withdrawal—and why tax and withholding are separate.
Read issueSee how Roth conversion income may affect the exact 2026 Medicare Part B and Part D IRMAA costs, including the two-year lookback, spouse examples, and current appeal rules.
Read issueA fixed, calculator-generated comparison shows how nine annual pre-RMD conversions may change a first projected RMD and later pre-tax and Roth balances.
Read issueIRA basis can make part of a Roth conversion nontaxable, but Form 8606 generally applies one proportional calculation across the owner’s applicable Traditional, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs.
Read issueAn RMD and a Roth conversion can happen in the same year, but they are separate transactions: the required amount must leave the account and cannot become the conversion.
Read issueUnderstand when a taxable Roth conversion enters income, when an in-year payment may be needed, and how 2026 deadlines, withholding, and safe harbors differ.
Read issueThe taxable amount is only the beginning. See how brackets, IRA basis, Social Security, Medicare IRMAA, RMDs, and payment timing can change the picture.
Read issueThe right Roth conversion amount is not simply the space left in a tax bracket. Here are the factors worth reviewing before choosing a number.
Read issueA quick introduction to the weekly educational notes, planning questions, and retirement-tax concepts you can expect here.
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