If you’re heading into retirement with a mix of investment assets, including taxable, tax-deferred and Roth accounts, which account should you access first?
The conventional wisdom is that you should hold onto Roth accounts for as long as possible, giving them more time to continue growing tax-free. But there is one situation in which I think it makes sense to tap Roth IRAs early: If you are married, and one spouse retires before the other, you may want to access some of your investment assets while one spouse is still working.
In that situation, it might be more tax advantageous to withdraw from your Roth accounts. That will help to hold down your taxable income during those years.
