Am I crazy for wanting to avoid all this complication and spreadsheets and just plan to convert ~50K per year until 65 (i.e. for 10 years) and let the chips fall where they may? I didn't retire to pore over spreadsheets, and none of us really have any idea what brackets will be in 10 years anyway. My only guess is they'll be higher, which is why I'd do them at all.
I have this opinion as well! I'd much rather stick with the traditional IRAs and 401Ks rather than sweat the conversion difficulties. Especially if the taxes were to end up the same anyway. I'm thinking that the tax rates when taking the money out of my TIRA will be lower because of my lack of income elsewhere.
ALSO, just to make it more complicated, if you invest in TIRAs all your life (ex. $100), then you'll have a lot more money in that IRA, when compared to investing money after taxes in a Roth (ex. $100 * 0.78 tax factor = $78). That money can be transferred to your heirs at their dollar value on the day that you died, if you were to set up a family trust. What would your heirs prefer, the $100 invested 30 years ago, or the $78 invested 30 years ago, considering they won't need to pay taxes on it, if they sell the investments the day after you die?
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