How to Evaluate a Roth Conversion for Retirement Tax Planning (Ep. 210)

By Retirement Unlocked | October 21, 2026

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Are you approaching retirement and wondering whether paying taxes on your IRA now through a Roth conversion could help reduce your future tax bill?

A Roth conversion can be an important part of retirement tax planning, but there’s no single approach that works for everyone. The timing, amount you convert, current and future tax brackets, Medicare costs, and even what you plan to leave to your children can all influence the decision.

In this episode, Larry Heller, CFP®, CDFA®, explains how Roth conversions work and what you should consider when deciding whether paying taxes today could create greater flexibility throughout retirement.

Larry discusses:

How Roth conversions work and why the converted amount becomes taxable income in the year you make the conversion
Why lower-income years before Social Security or required minimum distributions may provide an opportunity to consider converting
How current and future tax brackets can help determine when a Roth conversion may make sense
Why Medicare IRMAA and other tax consequences should be considered when choosing how much to convert
How Roth conversions and inherited IRA rules can affect the retirement assets you eventually leave to your children
And more!

Connect with Larry Heller:

Heller Wealth Management is now part of Savant Wealth Management. Savant is a Registered Investment Advisor. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as personalized investment advice.

Effective March 31, 2026, Heller Wealth Management joined Savant Wealth Management (“Savant”). A copy of Savant’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available at www.savantwealth.com/disclosure-brochures/