The upshot of all this is that people who expect to be in the 25 % bracket or higher during their retirement years should strongly consider a Roth conversion even if the rate of
tax on the conversion is as many as ten percentage points higher, provided they can
pay the conversion
tax with money that would
otherwise remain in a taxable investment account and their investment
time horizon is a long one.
When you fail to
pay the
taxes within the
time required, the government can then foreclose the account, seize assets, establish a lien, or
otherwise place legal burdens
on your assets or accounts.