IRAs

The best Roth conversion years before Medicare are not a fixed age range. The safer way to find your Roth conversion “Golden Window” is to count backward from the first calendar year you expect to pay Medicare premiums. Social Security generally uses tax information from two years before the...

A Roth conversion can be worth doing even if it causes higher Medicare IRMAA premiums. The mistake is treating IRMAA as an automatic veto instead of one more marginal cost of the conversion. Add the extra federal and state income tax, add the extra Medicare Part B and Part...

The Roth IRA 5-year rule is not one universal clock. For most Roth IRA owners, there are two different five-year periods to understand: one determines when Roth IRA earnings can be part of a qualified distribution, and separate five-year periods can apply to each Roth conversion or certain rollover...

You got a raise, a bonus landed, or your business had a better year than expected. Normally, that's good news. Then comes the Roth IRA question: “Did I just make too much money to contribute?” That's where Roth IRA income limits get confusing. The IRS doesn't look at your salary alone. It uses...

No. Roth IRA contributions are not tax-deductible. You fund a Roth IRA with after-tax dollars, so putting $1,000 into a Roth IRA does not subtract $1,000 from your taxable income for the year. But that does not mean a Roth IRA has no tax benefit today. That is where this...

Ever had that sinking feeling around Tax Day? It's way more common than you think. One of my clients, “Deadline-Danielle,” a sharp project manager, called me in a flat panic last April. “Michael,” she said, “I meant to max out my Roth for last year, but my bonus pushed...

A Roth IRA contribution is new money put directly into a Roth IRA for a specific tax year. For 2026, the IRS says the combined annual limit for traditional and Roth IRA contributions is $7,500, or $8,600 if you're age 50 or older. Your allowable Roth contribution can be...

Starting a Roth IRA is not one decision. It is a short sequence: make sure a direct Roth contribution fits your situation, choose a provider, open the account, move money into it, invest that money, and set up the next contribution. The part beginners most often miss is that...

Most RMD calculators can answer one question pretty quickly: “How much is my required minimum distribution from this account?” That is useful. Sometimes that is literally all you want. But the harder RMD question usually comes next: “Okay... I have multiple IRAs, an old 401(k), I already took some money out,...

Inherited IRA RMD rules in 2026 do not give every beneficiary the same answer. For many non-spouse beneficiaries, the account must be emptied by the end of the 10th year after death. But whether you also need annual required minimum distributions (RMDs) during that 10-year window depends heavily on...