Roth IRA vs. Traditional IRA: Which is Better for Retirement Savings? - 558
Your Money, Your Wealth
Your Money, Your Wealth
4.6 • 790 Ratings
🗓️ 2 December 2025
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
McDreamy Dempsey wants to know if converting to Roth in the 37% tax bracket ever makes sense, and Gary in La Crosse warns Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA about Roth conversion "lag" and when it DOESN'T make sense to convert, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 558. Plus, Wine Guy and Gal in Northern California want a spitball on whether they should protect their ACA subsidies or keep converting to Roth before Medicare kicks in. Then it's the classic question for Robert in Napa, Luke and Lorelai in Indiana, and Phil and Claire in California: should they save for retirement in their traditional, pre-tax, tax-deferred accounts, or their post-tax, tax-free Roth accounts? Different needs and situations, same big question: which strategy gives you the smarter tax outcome?
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https://bit.ly/ymyw-558 (full show notes & episode transcript)
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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro: This week on the YMYW Podcast
00:57 - Should High Earners Do Roth Conversions in the 37 Percent Bracket? (McDreamy Dempsey)
06:50 - The Hidden Roth Conversion Lag: When Conversions Don't Actually Pay Off (Gary, LaCrosse, WI)
18:03 - Should You Prioritize the ACA Subsidy Cliff or Roth Conversions Before Medicare? (Wine Guy & Gal, No CA)
26:27 - Traditional vs Roth Contributions: What's Better When You Make $400K? (Robert, Napa)
33:09 - Roth or Traditional Contributions? Save More or Coast After Debt Payoff? (Luke & Lorelai, Indiana)
42:13 - Roth or Traditional at Age 48: Which Strategy Makes More Sense? (Phil & Claire, CA)
49:19 - Outro: Next Week on the YMYW Podcast
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | All your lifetime tax-free investment growth needs in a Roth megasode. |
| 0:05.0 | Today on your money, your wealth podcast number 558, McDreamy Dempsey wants to know of converting |
| 0:10.8 | to Roth in the 37% tax bracket ever makes sense. |
| 0:14.8 | Gary and LaCross warns the fellas about Roth conversion lag and when it doesn't make sense |
| 0:19.6 | to convert. |
| 0:20.8 | Wine Guy and Gallin in Northern California want to spitball on whether they should protect their ACA |
| 0:25.5 | subsidies or keep converting to Roth before Medicare kicks in. |
| 0:29.4 | Then it's the classic question for Robert in Napa, Luke and Lorelei in Indiana, and Phil |
| 0:33.9 | and Claire in California. |
| 0:35.7 | Should they save for retirement in their traditional pre-tax accounts or their post-tax |
| 0:40.5 | Roth accounts? |
| 0:41.8 | Different needs, different situations, same big question. |
| 0:45.2 | Which strategy gives you the smarter tax outcome? |
| 0:48.3 | Let's dig in and find out. |
| 0:50.0 | I'm executive producer Andy Last and here are the hosts of Your Money, Your Wealth, |
| 0:54.0 | Joe Anderson, CFP, and Big Al Clopine CPA. Okay, McDreamy Dempsey. You know, you get that reference, right? That's Patrick Dempsey. Yeah. Patrick Dempsey, when he was on Gray's Anatomy, he played a character, Derek Shepard, who was known as Dr. McDreamy. his name is Dr. Shepard, but they called him McDreamy. Yes, because, I mean, you know what he looks like, right? He's good-looking. Yeah. Even I could see that as a guy. He was good-looking. Yeah. All right. We got Drake Russell's. So he's calling himself McDreamy. Yeah, he must be really good. It must be super hot. Yeah, I think so. Why didn't we get a picture? Well, here's what Dr. McDreamy looked like. Yes. Yeah, yeah. That's a good-looking guy. Now, I met him a long time ago. You did? Uh-huh. He drives race cars. Oh, okay. Um, he drove race cars with my college roommates buddy. Oh. Okay. But you're a part of the rich and famous. Yeah, I'm just robin names. Who else have you been? It was like, hello. That was about it uh hey mcdreamy how's john that's exactly all |
| 2:06.8 | the conversation but yeah it lasted that long yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah didn't even look at you |
| 2:12.9 | no not really let's see drink Drink Russell's Reserve, whiskey sour. |
| 2:20.0 | Okay. |
| 2:21.0 | He drives a little 2015 Audi. |
| 2:23.7 | They ate diesel. |
| 2:25.0 | Diesel, wow. |
... |
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