I am sure I am the absolute last person to figure this out, but just in case I'm not.... If you earned more than the Roth IRA contribution limit in 2009 (and earlier but there's nothing you can do about earlier years) you can still make a nondeductible IRA contribution and starting this year roll to a Roth IRA. Basically this allows you to bypass the roth income limits, and it's totally legal. thank you ridiculously complex US tax code! Google for more info. Speaking of which, can anyone recommend a good broker to handle the traditional ira and then the conversion without any fees?