・A Roth conversion ladder lets early retirees access traditional retirement funds before age 59½ without the 10% early withdrawal penalty, but each conversion requires a separate 5-year waiting period ...

Roth conversions can cause a big increase in your taxable income. That could leave you subject to Medicare surcharges. You may want to space out Roth conversions to avoid problems. There's a reason ...

If you earn too much to contribute directly to a Roth IRA, you may have quietly accepted that as a closed door, but it’s not. There are fully legal strategies that let anyone, regardless of income, ...

If you’ve spent years maxing out a 401(k) or traditional IRA, most of your wealth may be sitting behind a wall you cannot touch without a penalty until age 59½. There is a strategy to work around that ...

This article adheres to strict editorial standards. Some or all links may be monetized. Most investors approach Roth conversions with a simple question: Will my future tax bracket be higher than my ...

If you have taken distributions from any tax-deferred retirement account, you know that the distribution is reported on IRS Form 1099-R. A Form 1099-R is not usually issued for money that is added to ...

Roth conversions have become one of the most aggressively marketed planning strategies in the advisory business, but the industry’s understanding of when they work for a client and when they don’t ...

The SECURE Act 2.0 significantly changed the retirement planning landscape—creating both new options and new complications. One often-overlooked change involves a new rule that allows employees to ...

Required minimum distributions (RMDs) can drive up your taxes and have other consequences. Doing Roth conversions before RMDs start could be a smart move. You'll need to time those conversions ...

Roth IRA conversions done without attention to Medicare income thresholds can trigger surcharges of $2,000 to $8,000 or more annually on Part B and Part D premiums — but careful sizing and timing can ...