We brandish calculators and sophisticated software to free clients from nagging tax liabilities and penalties. One tool that seems to surface more and more in our daily quest to help clients is the ...

In certain circumstances it can even be a bad idea. For instance, it’s never a good idea to recommend that your client convert to a Roth IRA unless you completely understand their current tax ...

People with Roth IRAs generally have to wait five years before withdrawing earnings from their account. But the devil is in ...

That’s the simple and essential premise of Roth conversions — paying taxes now on regular IRAs, 401(k)s and other tax-deferred retirement accounts (except those from your current job ...

Generally speaking, the lower your income in a given year, the more favorable it is for you to convert to a Roth IRA. So, for example, if you have already retired, but have not started collecting ...

Procedurally, it's never too late to make a Roth conversion. The IRS allows you to move this money at any time, so long as you have funds in a qualifying pre-tax account. In many cases ...

or even when you are retired — through a Roth conversion. Why is a Roth IRA desirable for some people? Here are the key benefits: You put in after-tax dollars to a Roth IRA, so you can withdraw your ...

That would sometimes suggest stretching out a conversion to a Roth over many years or not doing it at all. That’s the answer you might get from a free online calculator, of which there are many.

Another way people have built up Roth IRA wealth was to convert traditional IRAs (which have been around a lot longer) or work-sponsored retirement accounts into Roth IRA accounts, opting to pay ...