How much should you convert?
The slider adds the conversion amount to taxable income, recomputes federal tax, and watches MAGI cross every IRMAA cliff in real time. Surfaces the marginal cost of the next dollar — including the often-overlooked Medicare surcharge.
LTCG markers are taxable-income thresholds plus the base standard deduction (a planning approximation, not exact for itemizers or the OBBBA senior bonus). Below the 0% line, qualified dividends and long-term gains are taxed at 0%.
| Line | Baseline | After Conversion | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted Gross Income | $0 | $0 | — |
| MAGI (for IRMAA) | $0 | $0 | — |
| Taxable income | $0 | $0 | — |
| Marginal ordinary rate | 0% | 0% | — |
| Federal income tax | $0 | $0 | — |
| IRMAA tier | Standard | Standard | — |
| Annual IRMAA surcharge | $0 | $0 | — |
Reminder: 2025 IRMAA is set off the 2023 MAGI. A conversion done this year will affect IRMAA approximately two years from now, and typically for at least one full year. Adjust the persistence input to model planning horizon accordingly.
Thirty-Year Conversion Forecast
Drag the conversion slider above to set the annual conversion amount. The model below carries that amount forward, applies growth, takes Required Minimum Distributions starting at age 73, and tracks the dollars paid in tax as if they had been invested at the same return.
- Traditional
- Roth
- Tax $ Reinvested
Year-by-Year LedgerClick to expand · 30 rows
| Yr | Age | Conv. | Conv. Tax | RMD | RMD Tax | End Trad | End Roth | Tax-$ Inv. | Total Wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 46 | — | — | — | — | $1,060,000 | $0 | $0 | $1,060,000 |
| 2 | 47 | — | — | — | — | $1,123,600 | $0 | $0 | $1,123,600 |
| 3 | 48 | — | — | — | — | $1,191,016 | $0 | $0 | $1,191,016 |
| 4 | 49 | — | — | — | — | $1,262,477 | $0 | $0 | $1,262,477 |
| 5 | 50 | — | — | — | — | $1,338,226 | $0 | $0 | $1,338,226 |
| 6 | 51 | — | — | — | — | $1,418,519 | $0 | $0 | $1,418,519 |
| 7 | 52 | — | — | — | — | $1,503,630 | $0 | $0 | $1,503,630 |
| 8 | 53 | — | — | — | — | $1,593,848 | $0 | $0 | $1,593,848 |
| 9 | 54 | — | — | — | — | $1,689,479 | $0 | $0 | $1,689,479 |
| 10 | 55 | — | — | — | — | $1,790,848 | $0 | $0 | $1,790,848 |
| 11 | 56 | — | — | — | — | $1,898,299 | $0 | $0 | $1,898,299 |
| 12 | 57 | — | — | — | — | $2,012,196 | $0 | $0 | $2,012,196 |
| 13 | 58 | — | — | — | — | $2,132,928 | $0 | $0 | $2,132,928 |
| 14 | 59 | — | — | — | — | $2,260,904 | $0 | $0 | $2,260,904 |
| 15 | 60 | — | — | — | — | $2,396,558 | $0 | $0 | $2,396,558 |
| 16 | 61 | — | — | — | — | $2,540,352 | $0 | $0 | $2,540,352 |
| 17 | 62 | — | — | — | — | $2,692,773 | $0 | $0 | $2,692,773 |
| 18 | 63 | — | — | — | — | $2,854,339 | $0 | $0 | $2,854,339 |
| 19 | 64 | — | — | — | — | $3,025,600 | $0 | $0 | $3,025,600 |
| 20 | 65 | — | — | — | — | $3,207,135 | $0 | $0 | $3,207,135 |
| 21 | 66 | — | — | — | — | $3,399,564 | $0 | $0 | $3,399,564 |
| 22 | 67 | — | — | — | — | $3,603,537 | $0 | $0 | $3,603,537 |
| 23 | 68 | — | — | — | — | $3,819,750 | $0 | $0 | $3,819,750 |
| 24 | 69 | — | — | — | — | $4,048,935 | $0 | $0 | $4,048,935 |
| 25 | 70 | — | — | — | — | $4,291,871 | $0 | $0 | $4,291,871 |
| 26 | 71 | — | — | — | — | $4,549,383 | $0 | $0 | $4,549,383 |
| 27 | 72 | — | — | — | — | $4,822,346 | $0 | $0 | $4,822,346 |
| 28 | 73rmd | — | — | $181,975 | $43,674 | $4,918,793 | $0 | $146,599 | $5,065,392 |
| 29 | 74rmd | — | — | $192,894 | $46,295 | $5,009,453 | $0 | $310,791 | $5,320,244 |
| 30 | 75rmd | — | — | $203,636 | $48,873 | $5,094,166 | $0 | $493,487 | $5,587,653 |
Assumptions: federal marginal rate held constant at the rate set above (does not re-run the Tax Ledger each year). State tax and IRMAA are excluded here — both are surfaced separately in the panels above. RMDs begin at age 73 (SECURE 2.0) and use the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table; after-tax RMD proceeds are reinvested into the tax-cost portfolio so the comparison treats them as still working for the client. The "Strategy Advantage" KPI compares total ending wealth (all three buckets) against the same scenario with $0 conversions.