Should I Do a Roth Conversion If I’m Already Taking Social Security?

You already turned on Social Security.

Maybe you’re 64.

Maybe you’re 67.

Maybe you’re 70.

Then somebody starts talking to you about Roth conversions.

Your first thought is:

“I already turned on Social Security. Did I miss my Roth window?”

Not necessarily.

Starting Social Security doesn’t automatically close the door on Roth conversions.

But something did change.

The math.

Now your Social Security benefit is part of the income picture, and taxable Roth conversion income can interact with how much of those benefits is included in taxable income under federal rules.

If you’re also on Medicare, there may be another layer.

If RMDs are approaching, there’s another.

If you’re married, there’s another.

This is exactly why I wouldn’t look at a Roth conversion after Social Security starts as a simple question about your tax bracket.

Quick Answer: Can You Do a Roth Conversion While Taking Social Security?

Yes.

Receiving Social Security doesn’t by itself prevent you from converting eligible traditional IRA assets to a Roth IRA.

The taxable portion of the conversion is generally included in gross income for the year of the conversion.

That additional income can interact with the federal calculation used to determine how much of your Social Security benefits is included in taxable income.

So the real question becomes:

“After including Social Security, the conversion itself, Medicare if applicable, future RMDs, and everything else, does converting still improve the projected outcome?”

Starting Social Security Didn’t Make Roth Conversions Disappear

This misconception comes up because people hear so much about doing Roth conversions between retirement and Social Security.

That can be an attractive period to analyze.

Imagine retiring at 62 and delaying Social Security.

Your wages disappear.

Social Security hasn’t started.

RMDs may still be years away.

That can create an interesting conversion window.

But missing that window doesn’t mean the strategy is dead.

A potentially attractive Roth window closing is not the same thing as Roth conversions becoming impossible.

What Actually Changes Once Social Security Starts?

Your income picture becomes more complicated.

Before Social Security, you may have had:

• Pension income
• IRA withdrawals
• Interest
• Dividends
• Capital gains
• Roth conversion income

Now Social Security enters the calculation too.

Under current federal rules, a portion of Social Security benefits may be included in taxable income based on the applicable income calculation.

For some taxpayers, up to 85% of benefits can be included in taxable income.

That does not mean Social Security is taxed at an 85% tax rate.

It means up to 85% of the benefits may be included in taxable income.

How Can a Roth Conversion Affect Social Security Taxation?

Here’s the part people often miss.

A taxable Roth conversion adds income.

That additional income can affect the calculation determining how much of your Social Security benefits is included in taxable income.

So you may convert $50,000 and think:

“I’ll just calculate the tax on another $50,000.”

The actual federal tax impact can be more complicated because the conversion can also cause a larger portion of Social Security benefits to be included in taxable income.

That’s why the conversion amount alone doesn’t tell you the true tax cost.

A Simple Example

Imagine you’re 67.

You and your spouse have:

• $55,000 of annual Social Security benefits
• $900,000 traditional IRA
• $250,000 in cash and taxable investments
• No pension
• $75,000 annual retirement spending

You want to convert $100,000.

The analysis shouldn’t simply say:

“Here’s your tax bracket. Multiply it by $100,000.”

We also need to examine what that additional taxable income may do to the portion of Social Security included in taxable income.

If you’re enrolled in Medicare, we may also need to look at future Medicare income-related costs.

Then we compare those costs against what the conversion is projected to accomplish.

This Is Where Marginal Tax Cost Can Surprise People

Suppose you believe you’re in a certain marginal federal tax bracket.

You assume every additional conversion dollar will simply be taxed at that rate until you reach the next bracket.

But when additional income also causes more Social Security benefits to be included in taxable income, the effective marginal tax impact over certain ranges can look different.

That’s why I don’t want to build the conversion strategy from a tax-bracket chart alone.

Your tax bracket is part of the calculation. It isn’t the whole calculation.

Does This Mean You Should Avoid Roth Conversions After Social Security?

No.

It means the conversion has a cost that needs to be measured correctly.

Imagine a $75,000 conversion causes additional current taxes.

That’s real.

But suppose that conversion also produces a projected reduction in future traditional IRA balances and future RMDs.

Maybe it creates a better projected outcome for the surviving spouse.

Maybe it creates a more favorable projected inheritance.

Maybe it gives you a larger Roth balance available for future qualified distributions.

Now you have something to compare.

The current tax cost doesn’t automatically kill the strategy. It sets the price the future benefit has to beat.

What If You’re 62 and Already Taking Social Security?

Maybe you claimed as soon as you became eligible.

Now you’re 63 or 64 and somebody tells you:

“You should have waited so you could do Roth conversions first.”

That isn’t particularly useful.

You already made the Social Security decision.

The question now is what produces the strongest outcome from here.

You may still have:

• Years before Medicare
• Years before RMDs
• A substantial traditional IRA
• Outside liquidity
• A long retirement ahead

Don’t let a decision you already made stop you from analyzing the decisions you can still make.

What If You’re 67 and Taking Social Security?

Now Medicare may also be part of the picture.

Suppose you’re 67 with:

• $1 million traditional IRA
• $350,000 outside savings
• $50,000 household Social Security
• Medicare
• No pension

You don’t need much from the IRA yet.

Now the Roth conversion decision may involve:

• Current conversion taxes
• Social Security taxation
• Medicare IRMAA
• Future RMDs
• Traditional account growth
• Roth growth
• Liquidity
• Spouse planning
• Legacy planning

That’s no longer a one-variable tax decision.

What If You’re 70 or Older?

The conversion window may feel even more compressed.

RMDs may be approaching or may already apply based on your age, birth year, account type, and current law.

That doesn’t automatically make a Roth conversion too late.

It means we need to look closely at how many years remain, how large the traditional account is, how much you expect to spend, and what happens if you don’t convert.

At 70+, the question isn’t “Why didn’t I do this ten years ago?” It’s “What produces the strongest projected result from today forward?”

What If RMDs Haven’t Started Yet?

This may create a valuable planning period even though Social Security is already running.

Suppose you’re 67.

Your Social Security has started.

You have $1.2 million in a traditional IRA.

You don’t need significant IRA withdrawals.

Applicable RMDs are still ahead.

Now we might compare several conversion amounts before those required distributions begin.

Maybe smaller conversions make sense.

Maybe larger conversions do.

Maybe the Social Security interaction makes certain conversion ranges less attractive.

We won’t know until we model the combined income picture.

What If RMDs Have Already Started?

Roth conversions may still be possible.

But there’s an important rule.

An RMD itself isn’t eligible for Roth conversion.

If an RMD applies for the year, the required amount generally needs to be distributed before additional eligible IRA assets are converted.

So perhaps your year includes:

• Social Security
• Pension income
• Your required distribution
• A separate Roth conversion

All of that needs to be viewed together.

What If You Don’t Need Your RMDs?

This is where some retirees start getting frustrated.

Your Social Security covers part of your lifestyle.

Your pension covers the rest.

You have outside savings.

You don’t need the IRA.

Then required distributions eventually arrive.

Your thought is:

“Why am I taking taxable money out when I don’t even need it?”

That’s a legitimate planning concern.

A Roth conversion before or after RMDs begin may potentially reduce the amount remaining in the traditional account relative to doing nothing.

That can potentially reduce future RMDs.

But we still have to compare that benefit with the current conversion cost.

What If You Actually Need the IRA for Retirement Income?

Now we have a different situation.

Imagine you’re receiving $35,000 of Social Security and need another $45,000 or $50,000 from your IRA every year.

Your traditional account is already doing an important job.

It’s funding retirement.

If normal spending withdrawals are likely to reduce the traditional balance significantly over time, future RMDs may be less concerning than they are for someone who never touches the account.

Don’t create a large conversion tax bill to solve a future distribution problem your normal retirement spending may already reduce.

Medicare Can Become the Second Tax-Like Cost

If you’re receiving Social Security and enrolled in Medicare, taxable Roth conversion income can also affect Medicare.

Medicare income-related monthly adjustment amounts can increase Part B and Part D costs for beneficiaries whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds applicable thresholds.

The income used for that determination generally comes from an earlier tax return, so a conversion can have a delayed Medicare effect.

That catches people off guard.

They do a conversion.

Time passes.

Then they receive a Medicare notice.

The conversion may be over, but the income can still show up later in the Medicare calculation.

Should You Keep the Conversion Below an IRMAA Threshold?

That’s one strategy to test.

It isn’t automatically the winner.

Suppose converting another $20,000 moves you across an applicable Medicare income threshold.

You could stop.

Or you could model what the extra $20,000 conversion is projected to accomplish and compare that benefit with the additional Medicare cost.

If the additional conversion barely changes the long-term outcome, avoiding the additional cost may make sense.

If the additional conversion produces a much stronger projected result, the answer may look different.

Put a dollar amount on the Medicare effect. Then make the conversion prove it’s worth paying.

Social Security + Medicare + Roth Conversion + RMDs

This is the combination that makes people want a simple answer.

Unfortunately, a simple answer can be expensive.

Imagine you’re 69 with:

• $60,000 household Social Security
• $1.3 million traditional IRA
• $400,000 outside assets
• Medicare
• No pension
• $85,000 annual spending

You’re considering a $150,000 conversion.

We need to look at more than the $150,000.

We need to examine the combined result.

That’s the number that matters.

How Much Should You Convert After Social Security Starts?

This is where I don’t want to give you a percentage.

Maybe $25,000 is appropriate.

Maybe $50,000.

Maybe $100,000.

Maybe $200,000.

Maybe different amounts each year.

Maybe zero.

The amount should be determined by what it accomplishes after accounting for the broader retirement picture.

Example: Make Different Conversion Amounts Compete

Imagine you’re 68.

You have:

• $1 million traditional IRA
• $300,000 cash and taxable assets
• $52,000 household Social Security
• $20,000 pension
• Medicare
• $80,000 annual spending

We might compare:

Scenario A: No Roth conversion.

Scenario B: $25,000 conversion.

Scenario C: $50,000 conversion.

Scenario D: $100,000 conversion.

Scenario E: $150,000 conversion.

Scenario F: Variable annual conversions over several years.

Then we compare the projected results.

What Are We Actually Comparing?

Not just taxes this year.

We want to see:

• Current conversion taxes
• Social Security taxation
• Potential Medicare IRMAA
• Traditional IRA balances
• Roth balances
• Future RMDs
• Retirement income
• Personal liquidity
• Surviving-spouse outcomes
• Beneficiary outcomes
• Legacy outcomes

The winning conversion amount is the one that produces the stronger overall projected result, not necessarily the smallest tax bill today.

Your Spouse Can Be a Bigger Issue Than Social Security

This gets overlooked.

You’re married today.

You may receive two Social Security benefits.

You may file a joint tax return.

You may have pension income.

You may have two retirement accounts.

Then one spouse dies.

The traditional retirement assets may still be substantial.

But the household changes.

The Surviving Spouse Problem

Suppose you die first.

Your spouse may inherit your traditional retirement assets.

Now there may be:

• One surviving Social Security benefit rather than two
• A changed pension picture
• One person paying household expenses
• Large traditional retirement assets
• Future taxable distributions
• A tax filing situation that can eventually change

The account may stay large while the household becomes one person.

That can make Roth planning relevant even after Social Security has already started.

The Real Question Isn’t About Social Security

It’s about control.

You worked for decades to get here.

You finally stopped working.

You turned on Social Security.

You want retirement to feel settled.

Then someone suggests creating a voluntary tax bill.

Your brain says:

“Why would I mess with this now?”

That’s understandable.

“What If We Mess This Up and Regret It?”

This is the thought behind a lot of Roth hesitation.

You don’t get another 30 years of paychecks to recover from a bad retirement decision.

You know that.

So you don’t want to convert too much.

You don’t want to convert too little.

You don’t want to pay tax unnecessarily.

You don’t want to look back ten years from now and realize you ignored a problem that was sitting right in front of you.

“What if we mess this up and regret it?”

That’s exactly why I want the alternatives on the same page.

“I Don’t Want to Ask My Kids for Help”

Taxes aren’t your only concern.

Your independence matters more.

You want your children building their lives.

You don’t want your retirement decisions becoming their financial responsibility.

“I don’t want to ask my kids for help.”

And underneath that:

“We should be able to handle this ourselves.”

That’s why I care about liquidity just as much as I care about tax projections.

Don’t Spend Your Safety Net Just to Create a Roth

Imagine you’re 68 with:

• $1 million traditional IRA
• $175,000 cash
• Social Security
• Medicare
• No pension

You could use a large portion of that cash to address conversion taxes.

But that $175,000 may also be your:

• Emergency reserve
• Home repair money
• Healthcare reserve
• Vehicle fund
• Travel money
• Long-term care buffer

Don’t create a beautiful Roth balance and then feel afraid every time the air conditioner makes a strange noise.

What About Your Children?

If you don’t expect to spend the entire traditional IRA, beneficiaries become part of the analysis.

Current federal rules can require many non-spouse beneficiaries to distribute inherited retirement accounts within a specified period, subject to exceptions and additional rules in certain circumstances.

Traditional retirement-account distributions can also create taxable income for beneficiaries.

If your children inherit while they’re still working, those distributions may arrive during their own high-income years.

The tax-deferred account can eventually become somebody else’s taxable income problem.

But Don’t Convert Just for the Kids

Your retirement comes first.

Maybe a Roth strategy creates a better projected inheritance.

That doesn’t automatically make it the better retirement strategy.

If the conversion requires too much of your cash, reduces flexibility, or creates financial stress, those costs matter.

Your children probably care more about you staying independent than squeezing every possible dollar out of their future inheritance.

What If You Already Claimed Social Security “Too Early”?

Don’t turn one decision into a reason to ignore every decision that follows.

Maybe, looking backward, another Social Security claiming strategy would have produced a different result.

That doesn’t tell us what to do with your IRA today.

The Roth question remains:

“Given the decisions that have already been made, what produces the strongest projected outcome from here?”

That’s the only version of the question we can act on.

What If You Delayed Social Security Until 70?

Then perhaps you already used several pre-Social-Security years for Roth conversions.

Or perhaps you didn’t.

Either way, reaching 70 and starting benefits doesn’t automatically mean conversion planning stops.

You may still have a substantial traditional balance.

You may still have RMD planning concerns.

You may still have spouse and legacy goals.

Social Security starting is a planning milestone, not necessarily a Roth conversion finish line.

What If the Market Falls After Social Security Starts?

Suppose your $1.2 million traditional IRA falls to $950,000.

If Roth conversions were already under consideration, lower current asset values may create a scenario worth rerunning.

Certain assets may potentially be converted at lower current values.

If those assets later recover inside the Roth, future qualified distributions may receive Roth treatment when applicable requirements are satisfied.

Recovery isn’t guaranteed.

The market can continue falling.

A market decline can change the conversion math. It doesn’t make the decision automatic.

What If Future Tax Rates Go Down?

Then the model should be able to show you what happens.

I don’t want the entire Roth strategy resting on:

“Taxes are definitely going higher.”

That’s a prediction.

Instead, compare different assumptions.

What happens under lower future rates?

What happens under higher rates?

What happens if your retirement income changes?

What happens if one spouse dies earlier than expected?

A strong strategy should be tested against futures you don’t necessarily want to happen.

How Can You Address the Roth Conversion Tax?

Several approaches can be compared.

Option 1: Outside Cash or Taxable Assets

Outside assets may be used to address taxes generated by the conversion.

This can allow more of the selected conversion amount to remain inside the Roth.

But it reduces outside liquidity.

For a retiree already living on Social Security, preserving enough liquid money can be extremely important.

Option 2: Retirement Assets or Withholding

Another approach may involve retirement assets or withholding.

This can reduce the amount ultimately reaching or remaining inside the Roth and may create additional tax considerations.

The mechanics should be coordinated carefully before initiating the conversion.

Option 3: Contractual Carrier Bonus Value

When suitable, certain annuity contracts may provide contractual carrier bonus value that can be included in the broader economic comparison.

In some modeled scenarios, contractual carrier bonus value may economically offset some or potentially all of the conversion-tax cost over the strategy period.

This may potentially reduce the need for additional personal out-of-pocket cash from an overall economic standpoint.

The carrier does not assume your IRS tax liability.

A carrier bonus isn’t an IRS tax credit.

Your tax remains your responsibility.

Bonus terms, vesting, surrender provisions, liquidity restrictions, charges, participation rates, caps, spreads, crediting methods, income features, guarantees, and other contractual provisions need to be evaluated.

This Is Where Roth Blueprint Software Comes In

Once Social Security has started, I don’t want to look at a Roth conversion in isolation.

I want to see how the pieces interact.

Using our Roth Blueprint software, we can assess thousands of potential modeled scenarios.

That lets us compare more than:

“Convert or don’t convert.”

We can compare different amounts, different years, different assumptions, and different retirement outcomes.

What Can We Compare?

We can assess different:

• Annual conversion amounts
• Conversion starting years
• Conversion ending years
• One-time conversions
• Multi-year conversions
• Variable annual conversions
• Projected conversion taxes
• Social Security income
• Social Security taxation interactions
• Pension income
• Potential Medicare IRMAA
• Traditional IRA balances
• Projected Roth balances
• Projected RMDs
• Retirement spending
• Retirement-income outcomes
• Personal liquidity
• Tax-funding approaches
• Surviving-spouse outcomes
• Beneficiary outcomes
• Legacy outcomes

And we compare all of it against:

No Roth conversion.

Example: Make Six Strategies Compete

Imagine you’re 67 with:

• $1.1 million traditional IRA
• $350,000 outside savings
• $55,000 household Social Security
• Medicare
• $85,000 annual retirement spending

We might compare:

Scenario A: No conversion.

Scenario B: $25,000 annual conversions.

Scenario C: $50,000 annual conversions.

Scenario D: $100,000 annual conversions.

Scenario E: Larger conversions before applicable RMDs.

Scenario F: Variable annual conversions based on taxes, Social Security, Medicare, liquidity, account values, and future RMDs.

Then we make them compete.

That’s much more useful than assuming Social Security starting means you missed your chance.

The Retirement Math Method™

This is why we use our Retirement Math Method™.

I don’t start with:

“You already started Social Security, so Roth conversions don’t make sense anymore.”

I also don’t start with:

“You need to convert before RMDs.”

I start with:

“Show me what each strategy actually does.”

Maybe smaller conversions win.

Maybe larger conversions win.

Maybe the Social Security interaction changes the amount.

Maybe Medicare changes the timing.

Maybe future RMDs are the bigger concern.

Maybe your spouse is the real reason to consider converting.

Maybe preserving your cash matters more.

Maybe no conversion wins.

I don’t try to sell you on the strategy. I make the strategy prove itself with the math.

Let the math do the talking.

Frequently Asked Questions About Roth Conversions While Taking Social Security

Can I do a Roth conversion while taking Social Security?

Yes. Receiving Social Security doesn’t by itself prevent an eligible Roth conversion. The taxable portion of the conversion generally creates income that needs to be considered alongside Social Security and other income.

Does a Roth conversion make more of my Social Security taxable?

It can. Taxable conversion income can increase the income used in the federal Social Security taxation calculation, potentially causing a larger portion of benefits to be included in taxable income, up to applicable federal limits.

Does that mean Social Security is taxed at 85%?

No. Under current federal rules, up to 85% of Social Security benefits may be included in taxable income for some taxpayers. That isn’t the same as paying an 85% tax rate on the benefits.

Is it too late to convert after starting Social Security?

Not necessarily. Starting Social Security changes the income calculation, but Roth conversions can still be evaluated using current taxes, future RMDs, Medicare, liquidity, spouse outcomes, beneficiary outcomes, and the no-conversion alternative.

Can a Roth conversion affect Medicare?

Yes. For Medicare beneficiaries, taxable conversion income can increase modified adjusted gross income used to determine income-related Medicare premium adjustments in a later year.

Can I convert after RMDs start?

Potentially. However, an RMD itself isn’t eligible for Roth conversion. When an RMD applies for the year, the required amount generally must be distributed before additional eligible IRA assets are converted.

How much should I convert after Social Security starts?

There isn’t one universal amount. Smaller, larger, multi-year, variable, and no-conversion strategies should be compared using your complete income and retirement picture.

Should I keep my conversion below a Medicare IRMAA threshold?

That can be one strategy to test. The potential additional Medicare cost should be measured and compared with the projected benefit of the additional conversion rather than automatically determining the conversion amount.

Can a Roth conversion reduce future RMDs?

Potentially. Eligible assets converted to Roth no longer remain in the traditional account relative to an otherwise identical no-conversion scenario, potentially reducing future traditional balances and future RMDs.

Can Roth Blueprint model conversions after Social Security starts?

Our Roth Blueprint process can assess thousands of potential modeled scenarios involving conversion amounts, timing, projected taxes, Social Security interactions, Medicare considerations, traditional and Roth balances, RMDs, retirement income, liquidity, spouse outcomes, legacy objectives, and no conversion.

You Didn’t Necessarily Miss the Roth Window

Maybe the cleanest conversion years were before Social Security.

Maybe they weren’t.

Either way, they’re behind you now.

What matters is what happens next.

You still have a traditional IRA.

You still have a retirement to fund.

You may still have future RMDs.

You still have a spouse to protect.

You may still have children who will inherit what’s left.

The fact that Social Security has started doesn’t answer the Roth conversion question. It simply gives us another number that belongs in the calculation.

Already Taking Social Security With $500,000 or More in Tax-Deferred Accounts? Let’s Run the Math.

If you’re already receiving Social Security and have $500,000, $750,000, $1 million, $2 million, or more in traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, or other tax-deferred retirement assets, don’t assume you missed your chance to evaluate Roth conversions.

When you meet with me, we can use our Roth Blueprint software and Retirement Math Method™ to assess thousands of potential modeled scenarios.

We can compare:

• No Roth conversion
• Smaller annual conversions
• Larger annual conversions
• Multi-year conversions
• Variable annual conversions
• Social Security taxation interactions
• Different Medicare income scenarios
• Conversions before applicable RMDs
• Conversions after applicable RMDs begin
• Projected conversion taxes
• Projected traditional balances
• Projected Roth balances
• Projected RMDs
• Retirement income
• Personal liquidity
• Surviving-spouse outcomes
• Beneficiary outcomes
• Legacy outcomes
• Different approaches to addressing the conversion tax

Then we put the strategies side by side.

Maybe converting still wins.

Maybe a smaller conversion wins.

Maybe Social Security changes the amount.

Maybe Medicare changes the timing.

Maybe future RMDs are the bigger issue.

Maybe preserving your cash wins.

Maybe doing nothing wins.

That’s what you want to know before voluntarily creating taxable income.

We don’t sell you a retirement strategy. We run the math and let you decide.

Let the math do the talking.

Schedule Your Roth Conversion Strategy Appointment

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Important Disclosure

This article is for educational purposes only and isn’t intended as individualized tax, legal, investment, accounting, insurance, Medicare, Social Security, estate-planning, or retirement-planning advice. Roth conversions generally create taxable income to the extent converted amounts would otherwise be taxable. Qualified Roth IRA distributions are generally tax-free under current federal rules when applicable requirements are satisfied. Taxable Roth conversion income can affect the federal calculation determining how much of Social Security benefits is included in taxable income. Under current federal rules, up to 85% of Social Security benefits may be included in taxable income for some taxpayers, which isn’t the same as an 85% tax rate on those benefits. Taxable conversion income may also affect federal and state income taxes, marginal tax rates, Medicare premiums, estimated tax requirements, liquidity, beneficiary outcomes, and other parts of a financial plan. Medicare income-related monthly adjustment amounts generally use modified adjusted gross income from an earlier tax return, subject to applicable federal rules, exceptions, and appeal procedures. Required minimum distribution starting ages and rules vary based on birth year, account type, beneficiary status, and current law. An RMD isn’t eligible for Roth conversion, and when an RMD applies for the year, the required amount generally must be distributed before additional eligible IRA assets are converted. Roth conversions can potentially reduce future traditional retirement-account balances and future RMDs relative to an otherwise identical no-conversion scenario, but no specific tax, Medicare, Social Security, RMD, retirement-income, surviving-spouse, beneficiary, or legacy outcome is guaranteed. Social Security rules, Medicare rules, income thresholds, premiums, tax laws, retirement-account rules, and beneficiary rules can change. Roth Blueprint calculations and other projections are based on assumptions and information entered into the analysis and aren’t guarantees of future tax results, account values, investment performance, retirement income, Medicare premiums, Social Security taxation, RMD reductions, surviving-spouse outcomes, beneficiary outcomes, legacy results, or product performance. Insurance and annuity products may contain fees, charges, surrender periods, liquidity restrictions, eligibility requirements, bonus provisions, participation rates, caps, spreads, crediting methods, income features, guarantees, and other contractual terms. Guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurer. A carrier bonus isn’t an IRS tax credit and doesn’t transfer the client’s tax liability to an insurance company. Statements that contractual carrier bonus value may economically offset some or potentially all of a modeled conversion-tax cost aren’t statements that the tax disappears or that the carrier directly pays the client’s tax liability. Before executing a Roth conversion, making significant retirement-account withdrawals, changing Medicare or Social Security decisions, purchasing an insurance or annuity product, or making other retirement decisions, consider working with qualified tax, legal, financial, investment, insurance, Medicare, Social Security, estate-planning, and other appropriate professionals who can evaluate your individual circumstances.