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You've probably heard it before — don't bother with a Roth conversion. And here's the thing: for some people, that advice is actually right. But most people who hear it just take it at face value. They never ask why. And when you don't understand why, one of two things happens — you skip conversions entirely and miss a real opportunity, or you convert at exactly the wrong time and pay more in taxes than you ever needed to.

Almost every piece of retirement advice you've come across was built on one assumption: that your income is going to drop in retirement. For most Americans, that's true. For pension holders, a lot of you are going to have more income in retirement than you do right now. That changes everything about how you think about conversions — and it's exactly why the generic advice doesn't automatically apply to you.

In this episode, Cole walks through five specific reasons a Roth conversion might not make sense for a public employee with a pension — so you can figure out which ones actually apply to your situation, and which ones are the signal that you should be converting right now.

Topics covered:

• Why most "skip the Roth conversion" advice was built for someone without a pension — and why that matters
• How to evaluate whether your pre-tax balance is actually large enough to create an RMD problem later
• When your current income is higher than your retirement income will be — and why that changes the conversion math
• The state tax angle most people miss entirely when thinking about conversion timing
• Why still being at work doesn't mean your conversion window is open — and what it means to wait for the right window
• The 457(b) planning advantage public employees have that private sector workers simply don't
• How your children's tax brackets affect whether converting is actually the right move for your family
• The SECURE Act 10-year rule and when inheriting a traditional IRA isn't actually the tax problem people assume it is

This episode is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute personalized investment, tax, legal, or insurance advice. Viewing this content does not create an advisory relationship. The strategies and examples discussed are hypothetical and for illustrative purposes only. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your specific situation.Farer Financial LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser registered with the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions.