Free Guide · For $1M+ IRA Holders
Three risks quietly shrink your Roth conversion strategy before it ever runs: emotional decisions, fee compounding, and active-manager underperformance. This free guide shows you the math — and a 3-criteria framework to evaluate whether your current advisor is helping or hurting.
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15-page guide · 8-minute read · From 2,000+ IRA millionaire portfolio reviews
Craig Wear, CFP®
Founder, Q3 Advisors · 30+ years advising IRA millionaires
Wealth lost to a 2% fee combo over 30 years (vs a 0.1% baseline, $1M IRA at 7%)
Investor underperformance vs the S&P 500 in 2023 (DALBAR)
Active managers who beat the index over 10 years (SPIVA)
Selling in panic, buying in euphoria, jumping between funds. Emotional moves cost the average investor 5.5% versus the S&P 500 in 2023. Over 20 years, even a 1% behavioral gap compounds to roughly $1M on a $1M portfolio.
The Cost
investor underperformance vs the S&P 500 in 2023 (DALBAR)
A 1% fee feels small. Over 30 years on a $1M IRA earning 7%, that 1% fee leaves you with $5.74M instead of $7.26M — a $1.52M gap. At 2%, ending value drops to $4.32M, a $2.94M gap.
The Cost
wealth lost to 2% in fees over 30 years (vs 0.1% baseline)
Tactical shifts and active management sound like expertise. The data says otherwise — only 10–15% of active managers beat the S&P 500 over 10 years, and underperforming funds quietly disappear from the record (survivorship bias).
The Cost
active managers who outperform over a 10-year period (SPIVA)
Free 15-page guide · Instant download
The compounding math behind a 1% expense ratio — and why it leaves a $1M IRA at $5.74M instead of $7.26M over 30 years
Why only 10–15% of active managers beat the S&P 500 over 10 years (SPIVA data) — and the structural reasons it won't change
The 3 specific criteria that justify firing a manager — and when staying put is the better move
How low-cost ETFs stack up against actively managed mutual funds (Fidelity Magellan, Oakmark, Vanguard) for retirees prioritizing simplicity, diversification, and tax efficiency before a Roth conversion
A 2-question quick check ("Am I overpaying?" and "What's my real return after fees?") plus the 3-criteria framework for evaluating whether to switch advisors
Author
Craig Wear, CFP®
Founder & CEO, Q3 Advisors
Most retirement guides come from firms that want to manage your portfolio. We aren't one of them.
Q3 Advisors helps IRA millionaires build Roth conversion strategies that actually work. But every conversion happens inside an investment account — and if that account is quietly leaking money to fees, behavior, or active management, the Roth strategy delivers less than it should, no matter how good the tax math is.
This guide gives you the framework to spot all three drags, calculate what they're costing you, and know whether your current setup is helping or hurting your future tax plan.
By the numbers
in projected lifetime tax savings modeled across Q3 Advisors' Roth conversion plans
Aggregate of projected federal tax savings from multi-year Roth conversion strategies built for Q3 Advisors clients.
Free 15-page guide · Instant download
What readers say
“I had no idea what a 1% fee was actually costing me until I ran the math the way Craig lays it out. Eye-opening — and it changed how I think about my portfolio before converting to Roth.”
“Love the information Craig shares about saving taxes by converting the traditional IRA to a Roth. All of the pros and cons are clearly explained. Certainly worth a read if you want to save paying thousands to the government.”
Questions
Once you see how these three risks interact, you won't read your statement the same way again.
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