I understand the "pay me now or pay me later" argument. I'm sure it applies in many cases. But one of the issues I'm most concerned about (in my situation) is that RMD required withdrawal RATE increases every year (starts about 4% and goes up from there). Eventually, that might place one in a relatively HIGHER tax bracket.
At 70, it's too late for me for most options, but OP is still less than 70 so has many options available. 1) when to take SS 2) whether/how much Roth conversion 3) Spending from 401(k)/tIRA or not 4) Possibly when to FIRE or stop adding to deferred savings 5) etc.
I think it might be well worth a couple of hours with the RIGHT financial planner (as in fee-only) or "tax guy" to set up a frame work for how to manage all of this for tax efficiency. It just could turn out to be pay me now or later, BUT it might be an "aha!" of tax savings once all the pieces are put in place. even though my options are so limited, I'm still looking into more Roth conversions if I can find the right person to help me make the calculations (I've never done my own taxes
).
All in all, I think this is a very worthwhile exploration to make - especially those with a little time to the critical date of age 70. YMMV