Craig Wear, CFP®Craig Wear, CFP® | Expert in Roth Conversions & Tax-Efficient Retirement Strategies for IRA Millionaires

Questions to AVOID IRA Tax Nightmares

17 Apr 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:59

In this video, CFP® Craig Wear warns that even wealthy IRA owners who perform Roth conversions can face six- to seven‑figure lifetime tax liabilities. To help clients gauge their future tax exposure, he proposes three diagnostic questions: (1) "What will my IRA be worth when Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) start?" – a measure of the potential tax problem if the account is left untouched; (2) "What will my tax rate be when my spouse is gone?" – highlighting that a higher future tax rate can make waiting on conversions far more costly; and (3) "What tax burden will my children or heirs inherit?" – assessing the intergenerational tax impact. He directs viewers to an RMD calculator linked in the description for precise risk modeling.

Chapters

Even smart IRA millionaires who use Roth conversion can still end up losing 6 and 7 figures in lifetime taxes. So we ask all of our clients 3 questions to help them see where their tax situation is really headed. The first one protects them from extremely high RMDs. What will my IRA be worth when RMDs start? That is really a question about how large the future tax problem is becoming if you leave it alone. The second question's, takes that even one step further. Now, it's not a fun question, but it's important to ask, what will my tax rate be when my spouse is gone? Because if that future is more expensive than you think, then waiting costs a lot more than it appears today. And that brings us to the third question. What tax burden will my children or my heirs inherit? And to make sure your answers to those questions are as accurate as possible, click the link in the description to our RMD calculator to give you the most precise overview of your future Tax risk.