One way to help manage your income both before and during retirement is to do Roth IRA conversions. This is a simple process that allows you to move money from tax deferred accounts like a IRA, your United Pilots PRAP to a Roth IRA. In general, the amount that you convert is added to your income for that year and will be taxed at that year’s tax rate. But then the money in Roth IRAs grows tax free and comes out tax free.
When it comes to helping your investments last as long as they can in retirement you must plan how and when you will use taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free assets to manage your income and tax brackets efficiently. You cannot be haphazard about tapping your tax deferred savings. Timing is everything - that is as it relates to the stage of retirement you are in and which accounts you pull from and in what order. If you don’t plan carefully, through all stages of retirement, you may encounter unintended tax consequences.