Planning for a comfortable retirement involves making strategic financial decisions before and after retiring. One effective strategy gaining popularity is the Roth conversion. By converting traditional retirement account funds into Roth IRAs, individuals can potentially unlock significant tax advantages and enhance their long-term savings. In this piece, we will delve into the world of Roth conversion strategies, exploring their benefits, considerations, and the various methods that can help maximize retirement savings.

Understanding Roth Conversions:

A Roth conversion involves transferring funds from a traditional IRA or 401(k) account into a Roth IRA. A traditional IRA has the upfront benefit of a tax deduction, which can benefit an individual during their highest earning years. While traditional retirement accounts offer tax-deferred growth, Roth IRAs offer tax-free withdrawals in retirement. The conversion process, however, triggers a taxable event, as the converted amount is treated as ordinary income in the year of conversion. Therefore, it is critical to consult a Wealth Advisor before pursuing a Roth conversion strategy.

Benefits of Roth Conversions:

1. Tax-Free Growth: Once the Roth conversion is complete, the funds grow tax-free, allowing for potentially greater accumulation over time. Tax-free growth allows an individual to maximize the power of compounding, by not reducing their Roth IRA balance by to pay taxes.
2. Tax Diversification: By having a mix of traditional and Roth retirement accounts, individuals gain flexibility in managing their tax liability during retirement. Withdrawals from traditional accounts are taxed as ordinary income, while Roth withdrawals are tax-free. The flexibility this strategy provides can be essential to optimizing an individual’s taxable income during their retirement years.
3. No Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): Unlike traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs do not have RMDs during the account owner’s lifetime. ^[1] This provides greater control over retirement withdrawals and may be advantageous for individuals with sufficient alternative income sources.
4. No Inherited IRA Taxable Distributions: When an IRA is inherited by an individual’s non-spouse beneficiaries, the funds may be required to be removed from the account within the first ten years of the decedents passing. ^[2] To avoid saddling heirs with a taxable burden after your passing, an individual can systematically convert their traditional IRA to a Roth IRA while alive.

Factors to Consider:

1. Tax Implications: Converting a significant amount to a Roth IRA can push individuals into a higher tax bracket. Careful analysis should be conducted to determine the optimal amount to convert each year, considering current and future tax obligations.
2. Tax Payment Source: Paying the taxes in the year of conversion from a source outside of the traditional IRA can multiple the benefit of a Roth conversion exponentially. ^[3] This allows the remainder of the traditional IRA assets to continue to grow tax deferred instead of paying a portion to the government for taxes owed.
3. Time Horizon: The longer the time horizon until retirement, the more potential growth a Roth conversion may provide. Younger individuals have more time to recover from the tax hit and benefit from tax-free growth.
4. Timing of Conversion: In some circumstances, individuals will have several years between retirement and RMD age when their tax bracket declines substantially. Those are prime Roth conversion years and can help maximize an individual’s lifetime wealth accumulation.

Roth Conversion Strategies:

1. Bracket Bumping: This strategy involves converting traditional IRA funds to a Roth IRA gradually over several years. By staying within a specific tax bracket, individuals can minimize the tax impact while diversifying their tax liabilities. ^[4]
2. Splitting Conversions: Individuals can choose to convert specific amounts from their traditional accounts, regardless of their tax bracket. Splitting conversions over multiple years helps spread out the taxes owed.
3. Post-Tax Contributions: For individuals with after-tax contributions in their traditional accounts (e.g., non-deductible IRA contributions), a conversion of these contributions to a Roth IRA can be tax-free, while any earnings may be subject to taxes. It should be noted there are tax rules that may require an individual to pro-rate the taxable portion of a Roth conversion.

Roth conversion strategies provide individuals with powerful tools to optimize their retirement savings and tax planning. The choice to convert funds to a Roth IRA requires careful consideration of current and future tax implications, along with personal financial goals. By working with a GYL Wealth Advisor and your tax professional, individuals can develop customized strategies that align with their specific circumstances, maximizing the benefits of Roth conversions and securing a more prosperous retirement future.

The views contained in this presentation represent the opinions of GYL Financial Synergies, LLC as of the date hereof unless otherwise indicated. This and/or the accompanying information was prepared by or obtained from sources GYL Financial Synergies, LLC believes to be reliable but does not guarantee its accuracy. The report herein is not a complete analysis of every material fact in respect to any security, mutual fund, company, industry, or market sector. The material has been prepared or is distributed solely for information purposes and is not a solicitation or an offer to buy any security or instrument or to participate in any trading strategy. Past performance does not guarantee future results. CAR20230727RCSMG

^[1] IRS.gov – Retirement Plan and IRA Required Minimum Distributions FAQs

^[2] Schwab.com – Inherited and Custodial IRA – Inherited IRA Withdrawal Rules

^[3] MarketWatch: You shouldn’t pay Roth conversion taxes with IRA money — here’s why., July 4, 2017

^[4] Forbes.com: Converting To A Roth? Don’t Fall Into These Traps, Dec. 16, 2021