Tip by : Denise Appleby
A Roth IRA conversion occurs when assets are moved from a Traditional, SEP or SIMPLE IRA to a Roth IRA.
Amounts can also be converted from a qualified plan, 403(b) and/or governmental 457(b) plan.
Amounts converted to a Roth IRA are treated as ordinary income, and any pre-tax amount is taxable. While a Roth IRA conversion can be a good tax-strategy, it is not suitable for everyone. As such, a Roth conversion analysis should be done to determine suitability.
If you are planning to covert amounts from a traditional IRA or other retirement account to a Roth IRA for 2014, the amount must leave that account by the end of the year.
Roth IRA conversions can be reversed by means of a recharacterization.Recharacterizations can be done by your tax filing due date, plus extensions. As such, if you are on the fence about whether to do a Roth IRA conversion, it may be practical to have it done by year- end. If you change your mind, you have until October 15 of next year to have it reversed, providing you file your tax return or file for an extension by the due date.
Consult with your financial and/or tax professional regarding this and other retirement planning matters.
