Request Your Sample Report
A client sitting across from you asks a question you’ve heard dozens of times: “My accountant says I should do a Roth conversion this year. What do you think?”
On the surface, it sounds straightforward. In practice, it isn’t. A thoughtful answer requires knowing their current bracket, how a conversion affects Medicare IRMAA surcharges two years out, what their required minimum distributions look like in their early 70s, and whether converting now saves more than it costs over a 10-to-20-year For clients focused on leaving assets to heirs, that same cost-versus-benefit comparison has to be run again from the heir’s side, using the heir’s own expected tax rate.
Most planning platforms don’t model that sequence fully. That’s the gap Roth Done Right was built to close.
This article is sharing generally-available knowledge only. Keep in mind that here at Stonewood, we’re not CPAs. We build analysis tools to help advisors evaluate the tax consequences and potential benefits of strategies like Roth conversions. Be sure to work with a qualified tax professional on any specific client situation.
The Question Advisors Can’t Answer Without the Right Tool
The Roth conversion conversation sounds simple until you’re in it. The client wants to know whether converting makes sense. You know the real answer depends on at least four variables running simultaneously: their current bracket, the IRMAA surcharge their conversion will trigger two years from now, how required minimum distributions shift their income in their early 70s, and what the after-tax difference looks like over a 15-year . For clients weighing a conversion with legacy goals in mind, a fifth variable belongs in that list: the tax rate their heirs will eventually pay on inherited assets.
Most advisors can explain those variables one at a time. The problem is that clients don’t experience them one at a time. They experience a single number: the bill at the end. And if the advisor can’t show how those variables interact in a single view, the client is left with a verbal explanation and a decision they’re not equipped to make confidently.
That’s what tax planning software is actually for. Not to automate the analysis, but to make the multi-variable picture visible to a client sitting across a table from you.
What to Look for in Tax Planning Software
Before evaluating specific tools, it’s worth being clear about what the right software actually needs to do. Two questions narrow the field quickly.
First: does the tool model Roth conversions over multiple years, or only for the current year? Single-year analysis can show a conversion looking efficient on paper while missing the IRMAA costs two years out or the bracket shift that hits when RMDs begin. Multi-year modeling is where the real a That multi-year modeling should also allow for partial conversions spread across several years, not just an all-or-nothing decision in a single year.
Second: does the output work in a client meeting? A tool that produces a back-office worksheet is useful for documentation. A tool that produces a client-facing report you can walk through in real time is what moves a planning conversation to a decision.
A few other capabilities separate tools that help from tools that add work:
- IRMAA integration. Medicare’s two-year lookback on modified adjusted gross income means a conversion that looks efficient on a bracket basis can trigger meaningful premium surcharges two years later. A tool that only shows the income tax side of a conversion is showing half the picture.
- Side-by-side scenario comparison. Showing a client a do-nothing path alongside two or three conversion amounts in one view is far more persuasive than a single projection. The comparison is what moves the conversation.
- Workflow fit. The software should fit how the practice already operates, not require a separate data entry process that slows the meeting down.
Roth Done Right: Purpose-Built for the Roth Conversion Conversation
Roth Done Right is the tax planning tool Stonewood built specifically for independent financial advisors working with mass affluent clients, the saver with meaningful IRA balances who’s asking whether converting now, at lower rates, makes sense before require . That situational, client-specific bracket math sits alongside a bigger risk many advisors underweight: the possibility that Congress changes the tax rules themselves before any of those milestones arrive.
It does one job, and does it in a way a client can follow in a meeting.
Multi-Year Roth Modeling
Where general planning platforms often model Roth conversions on a single-year or simplified basis, Roth Done Right models the decision over a full multi-year horizon. That matters because the math at year one is almost never the math that determines whether a conversion was the right call. The compounding effects across brackets, IRMAA tiers, and RMD projections are what the advisor needs to show.
Two-Dimensional IRMAA Analysis
Roth Done Right accounts for both the short-term and long-term IRMAA cost of a conversion. That two-dimensional view matters more than most advisors initially realize. A conversion that looks efficient on a bracket basis can look different once Medicare surcharges factor in for the two years following the conversion. Showing a That trade-off is even more pronounced once the model accounts for IRMAA surcharges themselves rising year over year, rather than staying flat at today’s rate.
A Report Built for the Meeting, Not the File
The output is a client-facing prospect report, not a back-office worksheet. Advisors use it to run the comparison live, with the client watching. The report shows the conversion path against the do-nothing path in plain terms, so the client can see the trade-off rather than take the advisor’s word for it. In practice, many advisors prepare the report in advance of the appointment and walk the client through it together, rather than building it live at the table.
Built for the Mass Affluent Client
Roth Done Right was designed around the savers most advisors are actually sitting across from: meaningful IRA balances, approaching or in retirement, facing the bracket and IRMAA squeeze that comes when Social Security and RMDs arrive at the same time. The tool is calibrated for that conversation, not for high-net-worth estate planning or business owner tax strategy.
How Roth Done Right Fits the Tax Planning Workflow
Roth Done Right is a standalone analysis tool. It doesn’t require replacing a planning platform or rebuilding an existing workflow. Advisors use it as the conversion-specific layer: the piece of the meeting where the tax return review surfaces an opportunity, and the advisor needs to show whether and how much to convert.
Free Advisor Training
Turn Roth Conversations Into Revenue
Watch this complimentary training to learn how leading advisors use retirement tax concerns to create urgency, open Roth conversion conversations, and uncover valuable new planning opportunities.
Stonewood offers two other tools alongside it. Annuity Alpha compares a fixed indexed annuity’s guaranteed income against what a brokerage account would need to earn to match it. Legacy Done Right handles estate and legacy analysis. The three tools are designed to work as a suite or independently, depending on where an advisor’s client conversations focus.
Stonewood is not an IMO. The company is a tools and enablement partner for independent financial advisors. The software doesn’t push a product or steer a recommendation. It makes the math visible so the advisor can have a better conversation.
Other Tools in the Category
Several other tools are used by advisors for tax planning and return analysis. They serve different use cases and are worth knowing about if you’re evaluating the category.
2026 Tax Planning Software: Quick Comparison
Holistiplan
A tax return analysis tool that uses OCR technology to scan an uploaded 1040 and generate a structured analysis. Scenario modeling covers Roth conversions, charitable giving, and withdrawal sequencing. Multi-year IRMAA modeling is limited compared to purpose-built Roth conversion tools. Pricing runs approximately $1,199 to $1,999 annually depending on household tier, per the Holistiplan vendor website (April 2026).
Income Lab Pro
A retirement income planning platform with tax analysis built into the same model, connecting Roth conversion modeling, IRMAA management, Social Security optimization, and spending capacity in a single environment. Contact the vendor for pricing.
Corvee
A tax planning platform used primarily in accounting-adjacent advisory contexts, with a strategy library covering business owner strategies, entity planning, and advanced techniques alongside retirement planning. Pricing is available via custom quote.
RightCapital
A financial planning platform with a tax scenario module included. Multi-year IRMAA modeling and dedicated Roth conversion analysis are limited within the tax module. Pricing runs approximately $149.95 to $254.95 per month, per the RightCapital vendor website (April 2026).
Bloomberg Tax Income Tax Planner (BNA)
A tax projection tool used primarily by CPA firms and tax professionals. The output is designed for internal analysis rather than client-facing presentations. Pricing is approximately $1,600 annually, per the Bloomberg Tax vendor website (April 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is tax planning software for financial advisors?
Tax planning software for financial advisors helps model strategies like Roth conversions, withdrawal sequencing, and IRMAA management for clients approaching or in retirement. The best tools produce client-facing scenarios that make trade-offs visible in a planning meeting, connecting the tax decision to the broader income plan.
What does Stonewood’s Roth Done Right do that general planning platforms don’t?
Roth Done Right models Roth conversions over a multi-year horizon and accounts for both the short-term and long-term IRMAA cost of a conversion, not just the income tax impact. The output is a client-facing prospect report built to run in a meeting, not a back-office worksheet. General planning platforms typically model Roth conversions on a single-year or simplified basis and don’t produce the same client-ready output.
Did the One Big Beautiful Act make Roth conversions less urgent?
At Stonewood, our view is no. The OBBBA extended lower tax rates, but ‘permanent’ in legislation means Congress must vote to change them, not that they won’t. Given anticipated government revenue needs and Washington’s unpredictability, many analysts expect rates to move toward pre-TCJA levels within the next decade. The window is wider than it was, but the case for converting during a low-rate period remains.
How does IRMAA impact Roth conversion decisions?
Medicare uses a two-year look back at your modified adjusted gross income to determine premium surcharges called the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA). If you do a Roth conversion that pushes your MAGI above an IRMAA threshold in 2026, you could pay more for Medicare Part B and D premiums in 2028. Tools that model the short- and long-term IRMAA impact, like Roth Done Right, help advisors demonstrate the full cost of a conversion to clients, not just the income tax portion.
Is Roth Done Right a tool or a part of a platform?
Roth Done Right is a standalone analytics tool for independent financial advisors. It joins Annuity Alpha and Legacy Done Right in Stonewood’s three product lineup. Advisors can use it independently or together with other planning tools in their existing workflow. Stonewood is not an IMO, rather a tools and enablement partner focused on helping advisors have better client conversations.
Can I compare multiple Roth conversion scenarios at once?
Yes. Roth Done Right lets advisors model multiple conversion approaches side by side. Showing a client a do-nothing scenario alongside a partial conversion and a full conversion in a single view often moves the conversation from theoretical to actionable.
What’s the difference between a standalone Roth conversion tool and an integrated planning platform?
Standalone tools like Roth Done Right focus on a specific analysis, Roth conversion modeling with multi-year IRMAA visibility, with output designed for a client meeting. Integrated platforms connect tax modeling to the broader financial plan inside a single data environment. Some advisors use both: a standalone tool for depth on the conversion analysis and a platform for the full planning picture.
See What a Stonewood Analysis Looks Like
Over 8,000 advisors have been trained on Stonewood’s software. Over 114,000 reports have been run.
If you’re evaluating tools for Roth conversion modeling and want to see how a client-facing analysis works in practice, a sample report is the fastest way to judge. The Stonewood team can walk you through how Roth Done Right models multi-year conversions, short- and long-term IRMAA impact, and the after-tax comparison for your clients’ situations.
Sources and References
All information in this article is general knowledge and widely available.
- “One Big Beautiful Bill: Provisions for Individuals and Workers.” Internal Revenue Service Newsroom. 2025. Available online: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/one-big-beautiful-bill-provisions-individuals-and-workers.
- CMS 2026 Medicare Part B and Part D IRMAA Thresholds. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 2026. Available online: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets.
About the Author
Strategy expertise and training that actually moves the needle. Neil sees the big opportunities coming - and develops tools to let you take advantage of them.
