You pay the tax now so your heirs won’t have to

You pay the tax now so your heirs won’t have to. That’s the core tradeoff behind a Roth IRA conversion — a move that shifts the tax burden from your beneficiaries to yourself, on your terms. For most non-spouse heirs, inherited traditional IRAs come with a 10-year rule: all funds must be withdrawn by the end of the decade following the account holder’s death. Every dollar pulled out is taxed as ordinary income, potentially pushing a beneficiary into a high tax bracket at a moment of emotional and financial strain. Spouses can roll over a deceased partner’s traditional IRA into their own, but taxes remain inevitable on every withdrawal. A Roth IRA conversion changes that equation. When you convert a traditional IRA or 401(k) to a Roth, you pay income taxes on the converted amount in the year of the transfer. That’s not an escape — it’s a relocation. The benefit? Once the account has been open for at least five years, all withdrawals, including earnings, are tax-free for your heirs. Non-spouse beneficiaries still must empty the account within 10 years, but they do so without a single dollar going to the IRS. You control when the tax hit occurs: during a market downturn, in a low-income year, or gradually over several years to stay within a favorable tax bracket. And because you can pay the conversion tax with outside funds, you preserve the full balance of your retirement account for tax-free growth. The IRS doesn’t allow loopholes — just options. This is one where the math and the legacy align.