WealthExact
Retirement Accounts & Tax
The choice between a Roth IRA and a Traditional IRA is not about which account “grows faster” — they hold the same investments and earn the same pre-tax return. The only variable that determines which wins is your marginal tax rate now versus your marginal tax rate in retirement. The tools in this cluster make that comparison precise and transparent.
Most online Roth vs. Traditional comparisons make a subtle error: they put the same nominal dollar amount into each account. That treats a Roth contribution and a Traditional contribution as equally costly, which they are not. A Traditional deduction gives you a refund at your current rate, so the fair comparison grosses it up to the same after-tax cost. Once you do that, the advantage ratio simplifies to a single formula: (1 − retirement rate) ÷ (1 − current rate). The breakeven is exactly where the two rates are equal.
Start with the Roth vs. Traditional IRA Calculator to see your advantage ratio, the crossover chart, and a year-by-year balance projection.
Compare a Roth and a Traditional IRA the honest way — same amount vs. same after-tax cost — and see exactly when each one wins.
Open tool →Backdoor Roth IRA CalculatorSee exactly how much of a backdoor Roth conversion is taxable under the IRA pro-rata rule — with the Form 8606 math, every assumption, and the clean-conversion requirement spelled out.
Open tool →72(t) / SEPP Early-Withdrawal CalculatorCalculate substantially equal periodic payments (SEPP) for penalty-free IRA withdrawals before age 59½ — all three IRS-approved methods side by side, with the formula and every assumption labeled.
Open tool →Roth Conversion Ladder CalculatorBuild the year-by-year schedule for penalty-free withdrawals before 59½ — each conversion, its 5-year seasoning date, the tax due, and the bridge funds needed while the first rungs season.
Open tool →Early Withdrawal Penalty CalculatorWhat a 401(k) or IRA withdrawal before 59½ actually costs — the 10% penalty, federal and state tax, net cash in hand, and the gross withdrawal needed to net a target amount.
Open tool →Self-Employed Retirement Contribution CalculatorCalculate the maximum SEP-IRA or Solo 401(k) employer contribution for a Schedule C sole proprietor — the IRS Publication 560 Rate Worksheet and Deduction Worksheet arithmetic, every line labeled, with 2026 dollar caps.
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