About this session
A Roth IRA is often summarized as 'pay tax now and withdraw tax-free later.' That shorthand misses many of the rules employees actually need to understand. Direct contributions have income and compensation requirements.
Traditional and Roth IRAs share an annual regular-contribution limit. Withdrawals follow ordering rules.
Qualified distributions have a five-year requirement. Roth conversions create a different five-year issue.
A backdoor Roth can become partly taxable when pre-tax IRA balances already exist.
This session unpacks those rules without turning them into a personal tax strategy.
Participants first distinguish a Roth IRA from Traditional IRAs and workplace Roth accounts, then learn how direct contribution eligibility, MAGI, spousal IRA rules, contribution deadlines, and excess contributions work.
The second stage focuses on qualified distributions, contribution basis, withdrawal ordering, and the two five-year-rule concepts that are frequently confused.
The later modules explain conversions and backdoor Roth mechanics, including Form 8606 and the pro-rata issue, before placing the Roth IRA back into the broader retirement system.
Participants distinguish rollovers, conversions, workplace Roth, 529-to-Roth rules, lifetime RMD treatment, and inherited Roth rules. They leave with a Roth IRA Review Checklist rather than a recommendation to contribute, convert, withdraw, transfer, or invest.
What your people take away
- Understand what a Roth IRA is — and why the account itself is different from the investments held inside it
- Determine which facts govern direct Roth IRA contribution eligibility and identify annual contribution-limit questions
- Understand qualified distributions, contribution basis, withdrawal ordering, and the two different Roth five-year-rule concepts
- Understand Roth conversions and backdoor Roth mechanics, including Form 8606 and the pro-rata issue, without receiving a conversion recommendation
- Coordinate Roth IRA questions with workplace retirement, rollovers, beneficiaries, inherited-account rules, and appropriate tax / investment support
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What each length covers
30 minutes
30 Minutes — Key Points: Understand Roth IRA Structure & Direct Contribution RulesA focused 30-minute session on three key points from Understand Roth IRA Structure & Direct Contribution Rules: start with the account — not with the investment, check taxable compensation, MAGI & filing status and understand the shared IRA contribution limit.
- Start with the account — not with the investment
- Check taxable compensation, MAGI & filing status
- Understand the shared IRA contribution limit
Covers 3 of 4 points in Understand Roth IRA Structure & Direct Contribution Rules.
60 minutes
60 Minutes — Module 1: Understand Roth IRA Structure & Direct Contribution RulesStart with the rules that determine whether a direct Roth IRA contribution can be made. Participants distinguish Roth IRA from Traditional IRA and workplace Roth accounts, understand taxable-compensation and MAGI requirements, learn how the shared annual IRA contribution limit works, and identify contribution-deadline, spousal IRA, and excess-contribution questions.
- Module 1: Understand Roth IRA Structure & Direct Contribution Rules
- Roth IRA vs Traditional IRA vs Workplace Roth
- Taxable Compensation & MAGI Eligibility
- Shared Traditional + Roth IRA Contribution Limit
- Spousal Roth IRA Rules
- Contribution Deadline & Excess Contribution Questions
- Live Q&A
Covers 1 of 4 parts: Understand Roth IRA Structure & Direct Contribution Rules.
90 minutes
90 Minutes — Modules 1 and 2: Understand Contributions & Roth IRA WithdrawalsBuild on contribution eligibility with the rules that govern distributions. Participants distinguish regular contribution basis from conversion amounts and earnings, understand Roth IRA ordering rules, learn what creates a qualified distribution, and separate the qualified-distribution five-year clock from conversion-specific five-year rules.
- Module 1: Understand Roth IRA Structure & Direct Contribution Rules
- Module 2: Understand Withdrawals & the Roth Five-Year Rules
- Qualified Distribution Framework
- Roth IRA Distribution Ordering Rules
- Regular Contributions vs Conversions vs Earnings
- Qualified-Distribution Five-Year Rule
- Conversion Five-Year Rule
- Live Q&A
Covers 2 of 4 parts: Understand Roth IRA Structure & Direct Contribution Rules and Understand Withdrawals & the Roth Five-Year Rules.
3 hours
Covers 3 of 4 parts: Understand Roth IRA Structure & Direct Contribution Rules, Understand Withdrawals & the Roth Five-Year Rules and Understand Roth Conversions & Backdoor Roth Mechanics.
Full day
Full Day — Complete Roth IRA Deep DiveExplore all four modules with time for direct-contribution eligibility scenarios, Roth withdrawal-ordering exercises, five-year-rule comparisons, conversion and Form 8606 examples, backdoor Roth pro-rata education, workplace Roth coordination, rollover distinctions, beneficiary questions, and a complete Roth IRA review. Participants leave with a structured Roth IRA Review Checklist rather than a contribution, conversion, investment, or withdrawal recommendation.
- Module 1: Understand Roth IRA Structure & Direct Contribution Rules
- Module 2: Understand Withdrawals & the Roth Five-Year Rules
- Module 3: Understand Roth Conversions & Backdoor Roth Mechanics
- Module 4: Coordinate Roth IRA With the Wider Retirement System
- Direct contribution eligibility scenarios
- Shared IRA contribution-limit exercise
- Roth distribution-ordering exercise
- Two five-year-rules comparison
- Conversion and Form 8606 education
- Backdoor Roth and pro-rata scenario
- Workplace Roth / Roth IRA comparison
- Roth IRA Review Checklist
- Live Q&A
Covers all 4 parts.
Also available as a 4-week or 8-week program, for change that lasts. Ask us about it.
What’s covered
Understand Roth IRA Structure & Direct Contribution Rules
Every length- Start with the account — not with the investmentParticipants learn that a Roth IRA is an individual retirement account with specific federal tax rules, not a stock, fund, ETF, or investment strategy.
- Check taxable compensation, MAGI & filing statusDirect Roth IRA contributions depend on qualifying compensation and current modified-adjusted-gross-income rules.
- Understand the shared IRA contribution limitParticipants learn that regular contributions to Traditional and Roth IRAs share one annual individual IRA contribution limit, with current catch-up treatment for eligible older contributors.
- Understand spousal contributions, deadlines & excess riskParticipants learn that each spouse owns an individual IRA, while the spousal IRA rules can allow a contribution for a spouse with little or no individual compensation when current joint-return and compensation requirements are met.
Understand Withdrawals & the Roth Five-Year Rules
90 minutes and longer- Distinguish regular contributions, conversions & earningsParticipants learn that money inside a Roth IRA can have different tax histories.
- Understand the Roth IRA ordering rulesParticipants work through the current ordering framework in which regular contributions are generally treated as distributed first, followed by conversion / rollover amounts under the applicable ordering rules, and then earnings.
- Understand what makes a distribution qualifiedParticipants learn that federal income-tax-free qualified distribution treatment generally requires the Roth IRA five-tax-year condition plus a qualifying event such as reaching age 59½ or another current statutory event.
- Keep the two five-year rules separateParticipants distinguish the Roth IRA qualified-distribution five-year period from the separate five-year periods that can apply to taxable conversion amounts for additional-tax purposes.
Understand Roth Conversions & Backdoor Roth Mechanics
3 hours and longer- Separate conversion from direct contributionParticipants learn that a Roth conversion moves eligible existing retirement assets into Roth treatment and is not a regular annual Roth IRA contribution.
- Understand IRA basis & Form 8606Participants learn how nondeductible Traditional IRA contributions can create IRA basis and why Form 8606 is central to reporting that basis, conversions, and certain distributions.
- Understand backdoor Roth as a process — not a special accountParticipants learn that the term backdoor Roth generally describes a nondeductible Traditional IRA contribution followed by a Roth conversion.
- Understand why the pro-rata rule can change the tax resultParticipants learn why pre-tax balances in Traditional, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs can affect the taxable and nontaxable portions of a conversion under the Form 8606 aggregation framework.
Coordinate Roth IRA With the Wider Retirement System
Full day only- Distinguish Roth IRA from workplace RothParticipants compare Roth IRA with designated Roth 401(k), 403(b), and governmental 457(b) accounts.
- Distinguish contribution, conversion, rollover & recharacterizationParticipants separate the major ways money can enter or change retirement-account tax treatment.
- Understand special Roth funding & lifetime rulesParticipants are introduced to the special 529-to-Roth IRA rollover framework, original-owner no-lifetime-RMD treatment, and current workplace Roth RMD changes as examples of specialized rules that should be verified rather than generalized.
- Review beneficiaries, inherited Roth rules & recordkeepingParticipants learn that original-owner Roth IRA rules change after death, beneficiaries can face distribution requirements, and beneficiary designations should be reviewed alongside estate-planning documents.
Tools and materials
- Roth IRA Learning Baseline
- Roth IRA System Map
- Roth Retirement Terminology Guide
- Direct Contribution Eligibility Checklist
- MAGI & Filing Status Question Map
- Shared IRA Contribution Limit Guide
- Spousal Roth IRA Rules Guide
- Contribution Deadline Checklist
- Excess Contribution Cause Map
- Correction & Recharacterization Boundary Guide
- Roth IRA Records Checklist
- Roth Distribution Ordering Guide
- Qualified Distribution Checklist
- Two Roth Five-Year Rules Comparison
- Roth Conversion Map
How booking works
- Book online. Create a free Workbliss profile, then pay with session credits, by card or by invoice.
- Pick a date. Choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or book now and set the date later.
- Choose your expert. Within 3 working days, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date.
- We deliver it. Your expert is briefed on your people and goals, then runs the session live online or at your site.
Questions about Roth IRA: Building Tax-Free Retirement Wealth
How long is Roth IRA: Building Tax-Free Retirement Wealth?
Roth IRA: Building Tax-Free Retirement Wealth runs as 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or full day. You choose the length when you book. A 30-minute session covers three key points from Understand Roth IRA Structure & Direct Contribution Rules: start with the account — not with the investment, check taxable compensation, MAGI & filing status and understand the shared IRA contribution limit. A 60-minute session covers Understand Roth IRA Structure & Direct Contribution Rules in full, with a live Q&A. A 90-minute session adds Understand Withdrawals & the Roth Five-Year Rules. A 3-hour session adds Understand Roth Conversions & Backdoor Roth Mechanics. A full-day session adds Coordinate Roth IRA With the Wider Retirement System. It is also available as a 4-week or 8-week program.
Can Roth IRA: Building Tax-Free Retirement Wealth be delivered online or in person?
Yes, both. It runs live online, so every office can join at the same time, or in person at your site, in any country.
How do we book Roth IRA: Building Tax-Free Retirement Wealth?
Create a free Workbliss profile with your work email, then open Roth IRA: Building Tax-Free Retirement Wealth to see the price for each length and book it. You can pay with session credits, by card or by invoice, and choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or set it later.
Who leads the session?
A vetted Workbliss expert, briefed on your people, culture and goals before the session. After you book, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date within 3 working days, so you can choose who leads it.
Can it be tailored to our company?
Yes. Every session is shaped around your goals, your people and the benefits you already offer, and delivered by experts in your people’s languages.