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    Trying to decide on Roth vs Traditional Gold IRA for

    Key Takeaways
    • Okay, so I'm trying to figure out the best move for my gold IRA, specifically whether to go Roth or Traditional.
    • I've got a decent chunk of my portfolio, maybe 15-20%, in physical gold and silver, mostly through a Gold IRA.
    • She’s really stepping up, so I’m feeling good about that, but it means I need to get my own ducks in a row for retirement.
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    Okay, so I'm trying to figure out the best move for my gold IRA, specifically whether to go Roth or Traditional. I've got a decent chunk of my portfolio, maybe 15-20%, in physical gold and silver, mostly through a Gold IRA. I'm sitting on around a $750k portfolio right now, mostly in the logistics business I own here in Memphis, which I'm gearing up to transition to my daughter over the next 5-7 years. She’s really stepping up, so I’m feeling good about that, but it means I need to get my own ducks in a row for retirement.

    My income right now is still pretty high, obviously, while I'm actively running the company. So the traditional IRA deduction is super attractive. But then I think about future tax rates – who knows what they'll look like in 10-15 years when I'm actually pulling this money out? That's where the Roth really shines, with those tax-free withdrawals. I'm torn on optimizing for now versus optimizing for later, especially with all the talk about government spending and potential tax hikes down the line.

    I know a lot of you guys here are pretty savvys with this stuff. What's been your experience and thought process when choosing between a Roth vs. Traditional Gold IRA? Did you factor in succession planning or the sale of a business at all? Any Memphis folks with local tax insight on this too might be helpful. I'm leaning heavily towards the Traditional right now for the upfront tax savings, but that nagging doubt about future taxes is real.

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    9 comments

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    Best Answer▲ 13 upvotes
    D
    donald_nelson💎Premium (500k-1m)

    Honestly, the whole "succession planning" angle for a Roth Gold IRA feels a bit overblown these days, especially for those of us who are already well into our careers. I've got a seven-figure portfolio, mostly in gold and silver through my Traditional Gold IRA, and my biggest concern was always the RMDs, not what happens after I'm gone. I mean, my kids are doing fine on their own. For anyone nearing retirement, the RMD Calculator was a godsend for figuring out the actual tax implications, which to me, are far more pressing than hypothetical future taxes for my heirs.

    Comments (9)

    9
    paul_hill🏆Advanced (250-500k)Real Investor✓ Verifiedabout 2 months ago

    Hey, totally get where you're coming from. I was in a similar boat a few years back trying to decide the Roth vs. Traditional Gold IRA for succession. My situation wasn't exactly the same, but the core dilemma of balancing current tax benefits vs. future tax-free growth (and how that plays into leaving it to heirs) was a real head-scratcher. Ultimately, for me, the Roth made more sense given my income trajectory and belief that taxes would only go up. Good luck with your decision!

    5
    ruth_perez📊Growing (50-100k)about 2 months ago

    Interesting situation! You mentioned a "decent chunk" of your portfolio, 15-20%, is in physical gold and silver through a Gold IRA. Are you looking to keep that same allocation percentage with your new IRA, or are you hoping to adjust that?

    7
    donald_nelson💎Premium (500k-1m)Real Investor✓ Verifiedabout 2 months ago

    Interesting thought process! While succession planning is definitely a good idea, I'm not sure if the Roth vs. Traditional distinction for a Gold IRA plays as big a role there as it does for typical stock/bond IRAs. With physical gold, the eventual distribution to beneficiaries is going to be taxed based on its value at that time, and the tax basis can get stepped up. The pre-tax vs. post-tax nature of the contributions might matter less for the beneficiary's tax burden than the actual market value of the gold when they inherit it. Just something to consider!

    3
    david_brown💎Premium (500k-1m)Real Investorabout 2 months ago

    This is a tough one, deciding the Roth vs. Traditional for something as crucial as succession planning. Reminds me of when I was first looking into Gold IRAs back in '08, right after the market went sideways. I'd just sold off a significant chunk of my tech stocks in Boston, thinking I was being smart, only to watch the housing market implode. I had about $700k sitting in a brokerage account, feeling like it was melting faster than a snowman in July. That's when I started seriously looking at tangible assets. My advisor, God bless her, walked me through the pros and cons of metals, and specifically the tax implications. For me, with my income bracket at the time, going Traditional made more sense for the immediate tax deferral, especially since I was hoping to be in a lower bracket by retirement. But if I had to do it all over again, knowing what I know now about inflation and future tax hikes, I might have leaned Roth a bit more heavily. It's a gamble either way, but the peace of mind knowing those gains on my gold are *tax-free* in retirement... that's a powerful feeling.

    13
    donald_nelson💎Premium (500k-1m)Real Investor✓ Verifiedabout 2 months ago

    Honestly, the whole "succession planning" angle for a Roth Gold IRA feels a bit overblown these days, especially for those of us who are already well into our careers. I've got a seven-figure portfolio, mostly in gold and silver through my Traditional Gold IRA, and my biggest concern was always the RMDs, not what happens after I'm gone. I mean, my kids are doing fine on their own. For anyone nearing retirement, the RMD Calculator was a godsend for figuring out the actual tax implications, which to me, are far more pressing than hypothetical future taxes for my heirs.

    11
    nancy_hall💰Established (100-250k)Real Investorabout 2 months ago

    This is a great thread, super helpful for us newer folks. I'm just getting started with my *Gold IRA* here in Tampa, looking at rolling over about $150k from an old 401k. What considerations, if any, are different for a Gold IRA vs a traditional stock/bond IRA when it comes to the Roth vs. Traditional death benefit stuff? I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all.

    5
    donna_rogers🏆Advanced (250-500k)Real Investorabout 2 months ago

    This is a super important decision, especially when you're thinking long-term. For me, the Roth Gold IRA was a no-brainer for succession planning, even with my portfolio sitting around $300k. My parents actually had a traditional IRA, and while it grew nicely, the taxes my siblings and I faced when we inherited it were an unwelcome surprise and ate into a good chunk of what they'd planned for us. Learning from that, I went with the Roth in 2020 specifically so my kids in Lexington wouldn't have to deal with that tax headache down the line. The peace of mind knowing those distributions will be tax-free for them, even if they're still decades away, is truly priceless.

    0
    james_wilson👑Elite (1m-5m)Real Investor✓ Verifiedabout 2 months ago

    For succession planning, I went with a Traditional Gold IRA, primarily because I liked the idea of pre-tax contributions growing tax-deferred, especially given my current income bracket here in NYC. It felt like a smarter play for my eventual heirs down the line. Honestly, when I was weighing all the pros and cons for different providers, the Best Gold IRA Companies comparison at goldirablueprint.com was a godsend; it really distilled the key differences and fees for me.

    1
    frank_rivera💎Premium (500k-1m)Real Investorabout 2 months ago

    This is a tough one, especially with succession planning in mind. I wrestled with this back in 2018 when my kids were just getting into college. I'm based out of Honolulu, and estate planning here gets tricky with property values and the state tax structure. My financial advisor strongly recommended leaning into the Traditional Gold IRA for the bulk of my physical gold holdings – around $300k of my total $800k portfolio. His reasoning was the tax deferral now, especially with my income bracket at the time, made a huge difference. He felt that by the time my kids inherit, the tax landscape might be more favorable, or at least they'd have more flexibility with how and when they take distributions without immediate heavy tax burdens, unlike a Roth where they'd be locked into those RMDs. It really came down to anticipating future tax environments and wanting to give them maximum control when the time comes.

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