Guides

Retirement tax guides

Planner-grade guides on Roth conversions, the backdoor Roth, RMD rules, IRMAA cliffs, withdrawal order and state tax on retirement income.

Roth vs. Traditional IRA

Bracket arbitrage, RMD drag, IRMAA and the survivor year — the math simple calculators skip.

The Backdoor Roth IRA

Step-by-step mechanics, the pro-rata rule that trips most people up, and when it isn't worth doing.

The Roth Conversion Ladder

How to size conversions year by year in the window between retirement and RMDs without overshooting a bracket.

RMD Rules & the 10-Year Inherited IRA

Start ages, divisors, aggregation rules, QCDs, and what heirs actually face under SECURE 2.0.

IRMAA: Medicare's Hidden Tax Cliffs

Why one extra dollar of MAGI can cost thousands two years later, and how to plan around the tiers.

Withdrawal Order in Retirement

Taxable, tax-deferred, tax-free — why the conventional sequence is often the wrong one.

Roth Conversion vs. QCD

After 70½ you can convert or give straight from the IRA — how the two interact, and which order saves more.

State Tax on Retirement Income

How the 41 income-tax states and DC treat IRA distributions, pensions, Social Security and conversions.