Should You Convert Your IRA to a Roth?

The answer depends on details that are specific to you: your tax bracket now, the bracket you expect later, and where the money to pay the tax bill comes from. Rules of thumb tend to fall apart once you run your own numbers.

In this conversation, Tony Muhlenkamp works through:

• Why “pay less tax” and “end up with more money” are not always the same goal
• What generic conversion advice assumes, and what happens when those assumptions do not hold
• Why holding money across different tax treatments leaves you more options in retirement

There is math that comes before the decision.