Married vs. Single
The Tax Shift Many Widows Don't See Coming
Here is something that surprises a lot of people: marital status can materially change the math behind a Roth conversion.
Tax brackets and income thresholds differ significantly between married and single filers, and that difference becomes very real after the loss of a spouse. Many surviving spouses find themselves paying tax at a noticeably higher rate on income that has not actually grown, simply because their filing status changed.
It is one of the reasons Roth planning is rarely just a today conversation, it is a conversation about what your tax picture could look like years down the road, under circumstances no one wants to plan for but everyone should.
If you are married and thinking ahead, download the 2026 Retirement Tax Checklist at InterlockFinancial.com under “Slott Into Retirement” and reach out to our team to further the conversation.
Married vs. Single
