[quote=SK in CV][quote=bullishgurl]Yes, if you saved a lot in your pre tax retirement accounts, you could be subject to higher tax rate during your retirement than right now, if your annual required minimum distribution (RMD) is more than what your AGI was when you were working.

Also, you would be subject to the tax rate during that time, which lets face it, will be more than it is now, given the way this country spends….RMD doesn’t kick in until 70.5 I think…a lot of good retirees I know are facing this right now.[/quote]

You need a shit-ton of money in retirement accounts for tax rates to be higher post-retirement. RMD at 70, if spouse is sole beneficiary and less than 10 years younger is about 3.6% of value as of 12/31 of the prior year. So to get even to a $100K RMD, it requires almost $3 million in the account.

I do know people with substantially more than that in retirement plans, but they’re in a high tax bracket even if they had no RMDs.

That said, I think a 50/50 split of traditional/roth into 401K’s is a great way to go. Particularly for those that qualified retirement plans are expected to provide substantially all of their retirement funding.[/quote]

He has a shitload of money in his 401k but made a middle class income during his prime years by bring an complete miser. HE was also one of those guys that had a pension in the defense sector as a machinist that is also adding to the AGI in his retirement years, so I guess combined, his tax rate is much higher than when he was working.

Some of his colleagues are in the same boat.

But I agree with you on the 50/50 split, which is what I do.