RothHelper Blog
Plain-language deep dives on the tax math behind retirement planning — written by the developer of the calculator.
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The IRMAA cliff: why $1 of extra income can cost you $2,000+ in Medicare premiums
The Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) is the largest single tax cliff in retirement planning — and the one most retirees discover only when the surprise letter arrives. Here's why $1 of extra income can cost thousands, why the damage hits two years after you cause it, and how to size Roth conversions to dodge the tiers.
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The Social Security tax torpedo: why "fill the 12% bracket" routinely overshoots into 22%
Standard Roth conversion advice says "convert up to the top of the 12% bracket." For most retirees collecting Social Security, that advice quietly produces a 22% conversion. Here's the math, why almost every free calculator gets it wrong, and how RothHelper's bracket-fill solver handles it.
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