Roth Conversion Optimizer

The magic number is:

1,728

The Roth conversion problem,
solved at the math layer.

A practical answer to a question with infinite combinations. Stratum scores every viable plan and shows you the winner.

No credit card required · First projection in 15 minutes

There is no single “right” Roth conversion.

There are 1,728 evaluable ones — and most planning tools test three.

The problem
  • 01Year 1 conversion: zero to account balance.
  • 02Year 2 conversion: zero to remaining balance.
  • 03Repeat through life expectancy.
  • Combinations: infinite.

Every conversion changes which account future withdrawals come from, which changes taxable income, which changes IRMAA, which changes the optimal next conversion. A spreadsheet that tests three scenarios is not a plan.

The solution

Stratum compresses infinity into 1,728 evaluable plans by modeling the dimensions that actually move the lifetime tax bill.

We score every combination against your client’s full lifetime projection — not just the conversion year. The winning plan accounts for marginal bracket usage, IRMAA tier crossings, RMD pressure, and the survivor-single penalty.

You see the winner. You walk the client through the math.

Full methodology: how the optimizer searches and ranks plans

Why 1,728?

The combinations that matter, factored across the life of the plan.

Accumulation12 combinations
×
Distribution12 combinations
×
Survivor / Single12 combinations

12  ×  12  ×  12  =  1,728 evaluable plans

4 marginal brackets × 3 IRMAA tiers, across 3 life periods

4 marginal brackets

The conversion sizes that fill the bracket your client actually lives in — 12%, 22%, 24%, and 32% — without spilling into the next.

3 IRMAA tiers

Including the cliffs that surcharge Medicare premiums for two years after a conversion. Most tools ignore this entirely.

3 life periods

Accumulation, retirement distribution, and the survivor-single window — where the widow's penalty often dominates lifetime tax.

What you get back

The numbers that close the meeting — for every year, in nominal and present-value terms.

Tax savings
Lifetime, Base vs. Strategic
Income delta
Year by year, after-tax
RMD impact
Required distributions through life expectancy
IRMAA exposure
Medicare surcharge years and tiers
Ending portfolio
Tax-free, tax-deferred, taxable

Built into every Stratum scenario.

The optimizer is one of 12 coordinated tax strategies in the Stratum pipeline — each one sees the impact of every strategy before it.

See the full pipeline

See it run on a real client.

14-day free trial. No credit card. First projection in under 15 minutes.

Output reflects user-entered assumptions and projected tax law. Hypothetical results are illustrative only and do not represent investment, tax, or legal advice. Stratum is planning software for use by financial advisors.