Last year I suggested clients talk to their CPAs about the costs of transferring some money from their traditional IRAs into a Roth IRA, because the IRS was going to allow transfers done in 2010 to have the tax on the transfer spread over 2 years.

I see all clients 1 to 4 times a year depending on need and the amount of assets I am managing for them. When I meet with clients along with my normal investment report I have a 2 page sheet showing my concerns and thought about the recent past and coming year. The following is an excerpt from one of today’s client meetings.

2. Last year we transferred $12,978 from your IRA Rollover to your Roth IRA. This year your CPA said to move $25,956 from your IRA Rollover to your Roth IRA. We transferred shares (to keep trading costs down) and got a little more than we wanted, $27,883.83. You will be paying taxes on this over a 2 year period of time and this may cause you to pay taxes on and extra $963.92, each year. The extra tax should be approximately $96.39, each year.

3. We transferred this money into your Roth IRA because it will grow tax free, but come out of the Roth IRA tax free; rather than 100% taxable which would be normal when money comes out of an IRA Rollover. The amount to roll over was figures in such a way that you probably will not have to pay any tax on the money transferred. If calculated correctly you transferred money from an account that is 100% taxable when money is removed, into an account that is 100% tax free when money is removed and did not have to pay any tax on the money we transferred. Now that is real MAGIC if it works out correctly.