(2) Yes, I should have mentioned -- in order to fully take care of my excess 2016 contribution, I'll withdraw the total excess amount of $5,500 but leave the earnings. Once I do that and re-characterize the 2017 Roth IRA contributions, I think I should be squared away.
(3) Great. Sorry if this is naive/uninformed, but where do I include the explanation statement for the re-characterization, and how do I determine if the resulting contribution is deductible vs. nondeductible?
(4) In terms of the 2017 contribution, after it's re-characterized, do you know if I can use the Backdoor Roth method and immediately convert back to my Roth IRA?
Thanks again for all of your answers, this is super helpful!
