Gariano Wealth Management · Retirement Tax Planning
Your Roth Conversion Window
There are a handful of low-tax years between the day you retire and the day RMDs begin. This tool estimates how long that window is, what filling it could save — and what waiting could cost.
Calculator inputs
Your results
Conversion window
11 yrs
age 62 → 73
Annual headroom
$0
in target bracket
Est. lifetime tax savings
$0
range
⚠ The cost of doing nothing
If this balance grows untouched, your projected first-year RMD at age 73 is about $0 — forced taxable income stacked on top of everything else, taxed at roughly your highest bracket every year after.
Your four retirement tax phases
What this estimate leaves out — and why your real number needs a planner
This model uses federal ordinary-income brackets only. It does not account for ACA premium subsidies (a conversion can erase thousands in credits before 65), IRMAA Medicare surcharges on a two-year lookback, the 3.8% net investment income tax, state income tax, Social Security taxation, or the order your accounts are drawn down. Any one of these can shift the optimal conversion amount materially — sometimes enough to make converting the wrong move in a given year.
Want a deeper breakdown of what your numbers mean?
Enter your email and I'll send you my guide, Understanding Your Roth Conversion Window — a plain-English walkthrough of the conversion years, the ACA and IRMAA tradeoffs this estimate can't capture, and how to think about the right conversion amount for your situation.
Important disclaimer. This calculator is for educational and illustrative purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, investment, or financial advice. All figures are rough estimates from a simplified model using only the inputs above and 2026 federal ordinary-income tax brackets; the growth rate and future-bracket inputs are assumptions you select, not predictions. They are not a projection, recommendation, or guarantee of any actual result. The model excludes state taxes, capital gains, Social Security taxation, ACA premium tax credits, IRMAA Medicare surcharges, the 3.8% net investment income tax, future changes in tax law, your full financial picture, and account sequencing — any of which can materially change the outcome, including making Roth conversions disadvantageous. Roth conversions are irrevocable and trigger taxes in the year of conversion. RMD start age is set by SECURE 2.0 (age 73 for those born 1951–1959, age 75 for those born 1960 or later); projections assume uninterrupted growth at the selected rate and the current IRS Uniform Lifetime factor at the applicable age, and actual RMDs will differ. Hypothetical savings depend on assumptions that may not occur. Nothing herein creates an advisory relationship. Consult a qualified CPA, tax advisor, or financial planner before acting on any of this information. Securities offered through Cetera Financial Specialists LLC (doing insurance business in CA as CFGFS Insurance Agency), member FINRA / SIPC. Advisory Services offered through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity. 112 Prospect St, Ridgewood, NJ 07450.