I would suggest everyone should consider a Roth Ira from day one of investing for retirement. My retirement money has been managed by advisers on the Barron's "Top 100 List". I have asked about rolling money to a Roth when it seemed like a viable option. Of course there is a calculation that shows the consequences of such a decision in terms of dollars lost for investing vs dollars growing in the conventional IRA. I think the downside is that money withdrawn from a conventional IRA is taxed on principal invested and growth. On a Roth you are only taxed on the money going in.
My suggestion would be talk to with several investment advisers before retiring.
I retired in 1999 and had conversations with five or six advisers. Not one of them presented a strong case for the Roth. Another suggestion would be to do a lot of homework on investing early on in working and saving years. It would probably be best if you knew as much as your adviser. They are driven by fees and commissions, you should be driven by the growth of your retirement "nest egg" and the tax consequences of your investments in the long term.
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