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Enter your details to see which wins
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Winner Advantage
🟢
Roth Net
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After-tax at retirement
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Traditional Net
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After-tax at retirement
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Winner
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Better for your situation
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Advantage
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Extra after-tax money
🎯 IRA Verdict
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💼 Your Situation
Income, taxes, and retirement details
⚔️ Head-to-Head
Side-by-side comparison with your numbers
What this means in plain English
Enter your income, tax bracket, years until retirement, and annual contribution above to see which IRA saves you more money over your lifetime.
What you should do next
- Fill in your details to get specific next steps on your IRA strategy.
Track your IRA growth and tax savings over time with Pro
Pro lets you model multiple scenarios — changing your contribution, adjusting your expected retirement tax rate, or comparing different time horizons — and save the results.
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🏷️
Tax Breakdown
Where you pay taxes with each account type — now vs later
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Roth Conversion Analysis
Should you convert existing Traditional funds to Roth?
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Year-by-Year Projection
Watch both accounts grow side by side
Growth Comparison
Tax Paid: Now vs Retirement
After-Tax Value Split
Net Income by Tax Scenario
Roth vs Traditional Report
Vault & Vessel Studio ·
📖
How To Use
Roth or Traditional? Stop guessing — see the math with YOUR numbers
🚀 Getting Started
1
Enter Your Income & Tax Rate
Your current marginal tax bracket determines how much the Traditional deduction saves you today. Check your last tax return or use the bracket guide.
2
Estimate Retirement Tax Rate
This is the key variable. If you expect to be in a LOWER bracket in retirement, Traditional wins. If HIGHER or same, Roth wins. Most people drop 1-2 brackets.
3
See the Winner
The dashboard shows after-tax retirement value for both options. The difference can be tens of thousands of dollars over a 30-year career.
4
Check Conversion
Already have Traditional funds? The conversion calculator shows if converting to Roth makes sense given your current situation and time horizon.
📊 Terms Made Simple
Roth IRA: You pay taxes NOW on contributions, but withdrawals in retirement are 100% TAX-FREE. The growth is never taxed. Best if you expect higher taxes later.
Traditional IRA: Contributions are tax-DEDUCTIBLE now (saves you taxes today), but you pay taxes on EVERYTHING you withdraw in retirement. Best if you expect lower taxes later.
Tax Bracket: The percentage rate you pay on your highest dollars of income. At $75K, you're in the 22% bracket — meaning each extra dollar earned (or deducted) changes your tax by 22 cents.
Roth Conversion: Moving money from Traditional to Roth. You pay taxes on the converted amount NOW, but it grows tax-free forever after. Smart when you're in a temporarily low bracket.
🔒 Your Data, Your Device
No subscription · Runs in your browser · Private local file
No data uploaded anywhere · Works 100% offline — no internet needed
No data uploaded anywhere · Works 100% offline — no internet needed
⚠️ This is a directional estimate, not tax advice. Tax laws change and individual situations vary. Consult a tax professional for specific guidance on IRA contributions and conversions.