To be honest, we don’t know. We’re not financial planners. What we do know is that this is a very good year to take a look at conversion.
Beginning in 2010, income restrictions for those considering converting to a Roth IRA have been removed. This means that many people that were not eligible to convert, now have this option. If you were not eligible in the past due to your income, your advisor may not have proposed conversion for this reason.
Also for 2010, the deferred tax of the Traditional IRA that must be paid upon conversion to a Roth IRA can be spread over a two year period. Once again, this reduces the expense of conversion based on the time value of money and must also be factored in to your decision.
If you have an IRA and a financial advisor, we recommend you speak with them about the relative benefit of converting some or all of your IRA to a Roth IRA. If you have an IRA and don’t have a financial advisor, contact us and we can help you find the right advisor to assist with this decision. Most will perform this analysis for free.
