Roth IRA Conversion Planning in 2011 & 2012

In early 2010, there was great fanfare over the repeal of the $100,000 modified adjusted gross income limitation. As the 2010 tax year came to an end, many tax professionals felt that Roth IRA conversion planning had lost its relevance as an effective income tax planning strategy, given that income tax rates were set to increase to their pre-2001 levels as of January 1, 2011. However, with the reinstatement of the so-called “Bush tax cuts” under the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, Roth IRA conversions have once again become a powerful short-term and long-term income tax planning strategy, especially in 2011 and 2012.