White Coat Investor Podcast

The 5-year rule for Roth IRA Conversions can be confusing because there are two 5-year rules regarding Roth IRAs. We discuss the difference between them in this episode. See the full show notes here https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/classic-blog/ . The first five year rule applies to Roth IRA contributions and determines whether the earnings will be tax free. The second rule applies to Roth conversions and applies to whether or not the principal that was converted will be penalty free when it comes out. In the case of conversions each conversion amount actually has its own five year time period. With multiple conversions, there may be multiple different five year periods underway at once. When withdrawals occur from the conversion amounts, they're deemed to come out on a first in first out basis, so that means that the oldest conversions, the ones most likely to have finished their five year requirement, come out first, and the most recent conversions come out last. We discuss in this episode why the rule is