How should I sequence taxable, traditional, and Roth withdrawals to keep my lifetime taxes low?

The lowest-lifetime-tax sequence usually isn't "drain one account at a time" but rather blending withdrawals to smooth your taxable income across decades. A common early-retirement approach spends taxable-brokerage dollars for living expenses (paying low or 0% capital-gains rates) while simultaneously converting just enough traditional money to Roth each year to fill up the 10% or 12% bracket. This shrinks the pre-tax balance that would otherwise trigger large required minimum distributions and a tax spike at 73, and it builds tax-free Roth funds for later. Roth is generally tapped last because it grows tax-free and is ideal for heirs. Layer in capital-gains harvesting in low-income years and watch ACA subsidy thresholds. The art is managing your bracket every single year rather than minimizing this year's bill. A simulator helps you see the multi-decade tax picture — try wealthserene.com/tools/roth-conversion.