In this episode, Priya Malani makes the case against one of the most repeated pieces of retirement advice in personal finance: convert everything to Roth. For high earners, blanket Roth conversions during peak earning years often mean paying taxes at the highest rate they'll ever see, then arriving in retirement with no flexibility to do anything about it. The real issue isn't Roth versus pre-tax. It's tax optionality — and most people give it up without realizing what they're trading away. This episode reframes how to think about tax strategy across a lifetime, not just during accumulation.

Takeaways:

• "Tax-free in the future" often just means you prepaid at your highest rate today.
• Converting to Roth during peak earning years eliminates the flexibility you'll actually want in retirement.
• Pre-tax contributions improve your cash flow now AND give you lower-bracket options later — that's a double win Roth can't offer.
• The income transition years before full retirement are often the most valuable tax window of your life, but only if you have money in multiple buckets.
• Tax optionality isn't a fancy strategy. It's having choices. All-Roth means you've already made them for yourself, at the worst possible time.

  
  

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Stash Wealth is a Registered Investment Advisor. Content presented is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to make an offer or solicitation for any specific securities product, service, or strategy. Consult with a qualified investment adviser (that's us) before implementing any strategy. Investing involves risk, including the loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. There…we said it.