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On the bright side, this may be a good opportunity to convert 401(K) or IRA funds into a ROTH account.


Why?


You owe tax on the difference between contributed dollars and converted dollars. So if you contributed $100 and it historically had grown to $150, you would owe tax on $50 to convert.

If that $150 in value is suddenly $120 instead, your tax bill to convert is significantly cheaper.


Rebuy equities/reinvest dividends at reduced prices, pay taxes now, enjoy tax-free growth. If the current admin is serious about trying to get rid of income tax, then that would eliminate a major advantage of trad vs roth.


Because you have to pay taxes on it when you convert, and you will have less to pay taxes on if you do it now.


ROTH contributions grow tax-free. Doing your conversions now allows you to buy equities are they're currently discounted prices, maximizing your potential long-term tax-free gains.


Especially if you hit the RMD threshold in retirement. Even more important is how RMDs affect Medicare premiums(1). The best advice I have is to avoid RMDs as much as possible since they can/will affect other parts of your retirement strategy. Thus, converting to ROTH today may save you lots of cash in the future.

(1) https://www.fedsmith.com/2024/10/23/rmds-are-silently-increa...


Lower absolute taxes




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