In-depth guides on roth & ira planning scenarios.
Why the employer match always wins, but Roth vs. traditional gets complicated once you leave the US
Why moving your former employer's pre-tax 401(k) into a Rollover IRA can retroactively tax a backdoor Roth conversion you already finished — and how the December 31 rule saves or sinks you.
How the $72,000 (2026) total 401(k) limit splits across three buckets, whether you can shift more into the after-tax bucket by deferring less pre-tax, and why that trade is usually a mistake.
Why a large existing traditional IRA balance makes backdoor Roth conversions mostly taxable — and how to fix it before you convert.
Converting cash to a Roth IRA means the full amount is ordinary income — even the part that was company stock. Here's why, and when the special NUA rules could change that.
When you have room in the 12% income bracket and the 0% capital gains bracket, which one should you fill first — a Roth conversion or realized gains?
The $24,500 deferral limit and the after-tax bucket are two separate things — here's how the full $45K can land in Roth.
How US citizens abroad can drain their pre-tax retirement accounts at little or no US tax cost — and the traps that can wreck the plan
The math behind converting a $300K traditional IRA when you're already in a high tax bracket — and when it makes sense to wait.
A framework for deciding how much to put in pre-tax vs. Roth when you're already maxing out your 401(k) — and why the answer changes as your career progresses.
You run a sole proprietorship and an LLC. Do you get two solo 401(k)s, or one shared limit? It depends on how your LLC is taxed.