My accountant leaned back in his chair and said, “You’ve got about ten years. After that, the IRS decides for you.”
I didn’t know what he meant. He drew a line on a piece of paper. On one end: the year I stopped working. On the other: the year I turn 73.
“That’s your window,” he said. “Your income is low. Your tax rate is low. And you’ve got a pile of money in a traditional IRA that the government is going to tax the moment you’re forced to take it out.”
He was talking about Roth conversions. And it turned out to be the most valuable tax move I’ve ever made.
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01. WHAT THE WINDOW IS
Here’s the setup. You work for 30 or 40 years. You put money into a traditional IRA or 401(k). It grows tax-free. Great.
Then you retire. Your paycheck stops. Your tax rate drops. For a few years, your income is the lowest it’s been in decades.
But at 73, the IRS says you have to start pulling money out of those accounts. They’re called required minimum distributions—RMDs. And every dollar comes out as taxable income.
If you’ve got a million bucks in a traditional IRA at 73, your first RMD is about $37,700. That gets added to your Social Security, your pension, and anything else you’re earning. Suddenly you’re in a higher tax bracket than you expected.
5–12 yrs
YOUR LOW-TAX
WINDOW
22%
VS. 32% LATER
$80K+
POTENTIAL
TAX SAVINGS
The window between retirement and age 73 is the only time most people will ever control their taxable income from near zero. Once RMDs start, you lose that control.
02. WHAT A ROTH CONVERSION DOES
A Roth conversion moves money from your traditional IRA into a Roth IRA. You pay income tax on the amount you move. But after that, the money grows tax-free. And when you take it out, you pay nothing.
No tax on the growth. No tax on the withdrawal. No RMDs ever.
The trick is doing it while your tax rate is low. If you’re in the 12 or 22 percent bracket during your window, you can move money out of the traditional account and pay a fraction of what you’d pay later when RMDs push you into the 32 percent bracket.
It’s not a loophole. It’s the tax code working exactly the way it was designed. Most people just don’t know about it.
03. WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN REAL NUMBERS
Take a couple who retires at 63. They’ve got $1.2 million in a traditional IRA. No earned income. Social Security starts at 67. Their base taxable income is close to zero.
OPTION A
Do nothing. Wait for RMDs. At 73, the IRA has grown to about $1.9 million at 5 percent. Their first RMD is roughly $72,000. Combined with Social Security and other income, they’re in the 32 percent bracket. They’ll pay about $23,000 in tax on that one distribution. Every year after, it gets worse as the balance grows.
OPTION B
Convert $80,000 a year for 10 years. During their low-income window, they move $80,000 each year into a Roth. They pay about 22 percent on each conversion—roughly $17,600 in tax per year. By 73, $800,000 is in a Roth growing tax-free. Their remaining traditional balance is much smaller. Their RMDs drop. Their bracket stays lower. And the Roth money never gets taxed again.
The difference over a lifetime? Tens of thousands of dollars. Some projections put it at $80,000 to $150,000 in tax savings depending on the numbers.
“Empty tax brackets are a perishable asset. If you don’t use them, they expire every January.”
04. THE MISTAKES I’D AVOID
▸ Don’t convert too much in one year. A big conversion can push you into a higher bracket and wipe out the savings. The goal is to fill a bracket, not blow through it. Convert enough to reach the top of the 22 or 24 percent bracket. Not a dollar more.
▸ Watch your Medicare costs. Higher income in a conversion year can trigger IRMAA surcharges—extra premiums on Medicare Parts B and D. These kick in two years later based on your tax return. A $90,000 conversion might save you $5,000 in taxes but cost you $2,000 in Medicare premiums. Plan both together.
▸ Don’t pay the tax from the converted money. If you move $80,000 into a Roth and pull $18,000 from the same account to cover the tax, you’ve reduced what actually lands in the Roth. Pay the tax from a separate account—savings, a brokerage account, wherever. Keep the Roth whole.
▸ Don’t wait for the “perfect” year. Every year you skip is bracket space you can’t get back. Start now. Adjust later.
05. A QUESTION I HEAR A LOT
Q. Won’t the tax rates just go up anyway?
A. Maybe. Nobody knows for sure. But right now, the 2026 brackets are locked in under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed last year. That means the current rates are permanent—not set to expire. Planning on a stable foundation beats guessing. And even if rates do go up someday, converting now at today’s lower rate still beats paying tomorrow’s higher rate on a bigger balance.
06. WHY MY ACCOUNTANT DREW THAT LINE
I didn’t understand it that day in his office. But I do now.
That line he drew on the paper was a countdown. Every year between retirement and 73 is a year I can move money out of a tax trap and into a tax-free account. Once the window closes, it’s gone.
I’ve been converting every year since I stopped working. Not huge amounts. Just enough to fill the bracket and stay under the Medicare line. Quiet, boring, yearly moves that most people never think about.
My traditional IRA is smaller now. My Roth is bigger. And when 73 rolls around, my RMDs will be a fraction of what they would have been.
That means lower taxes. Lower Medicare costs. And more money that grows and comes out tax-free for the rest of my life.
If you’re between retirement and 73, you’re standing in the window right now. Don’t let it close without doing something about it.
— Walter
P.S. Have you done a Roth conversion? Are you thinking about one? Hit reply and tell me where you are in the window. I’m curious how many of us are sitting on this and not acting.
