Motley Fool Money Roth Advice Gone Wrong and Mandatory Roth Catch-Up Contributions in 2026
31 snips
Dec 13, 2025 
Join certified financial planner Megan Brinsfield as she shares her expertise on navigating the murky waters of Roth accounts. Discover when Roth conversions can backfire, particularly with regard to increasing AGI and Medicare premiums. Megan also highlights the limitations of Roth calculators and discusses the importance of tax diversification. Plus, learn how upcoming 2026 changes will affect mandatory Roth catch-up contributions for high earners. It’s a must-listen for savvy investors looking to optimize their retirement strategies!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Roth Conversions Can Raise More Than Taxes
- Roth conversions raise your AGI and can trigger higher Medicare premiums two years later.
- Megan Brinsfield warns that added income creates downstream tax and benefit effects beyond bracket changes.
Prepaying Taxes May Waste Low-Rate Buckets
- Paying tax now into a Roth sacrifices future low-tax brackets and standard deduction space.
- Brinsfield emphasizes that prepaying tax can forfeit cheap tax buckets like 10% or 12% rates later.
Question Calculator Assumptions
- Don't blindly trust calculators that extrapolate one year of income to a century of compounding.
- Brinsfield advises checking tools because long lifespans overweight late compounding and can mislead Roth decisions.