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I rec'd a call from a "retirement specialist" at TD Ameritrade, our broker. He tried the line that I may want to convert to a Roth to save my heirs (post-spouse) from having to pay tax on inherited IRA's.
My reply was to the effect that I see no reason for us to pay the tax when they can do so from their inheritance. I said, "We're not like the Robbie Family who had to sell the Miami Dolphins to pay estate taxes." He said, "Well, these days, the Dolphins may not sell for much. But I do understand."
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Well I’m not sure what the strikethrough in your post is all about but the tax idea is straightforward really.
You, a retiree, are in a presumably lower tax bracket than your kids who inherit your 401K if they are in peak earning years.
Thus the total tax paid on the sum of money might be less if the retiree pays it than if the heir pays it. Generally speaking its a common approach to just always look at a tax liability to see if it could be reduced in any way.
You might not be in a position to consider paying the tax burden. Or your kids might not earn enough for it to matter, perhaps they are retired themselves. But thinking about options? Seems reasonable enough to me.