I'm thinking either way I'm going to contribute 17k... in a traditional I'm going to contribute 17k and 'pocket' 3k in reduced taxes (not investing the 3k immediately, probably). In a Roth, I have to come up with 20k to contribute the 17k and pay 3k in taxes. So I guess I start with 20k in both scenarios.
Traditional: $17k contribution, 6% return for 10 years = $30,444.41 - $4,566.66 tax = $25,877.75 + $3k savings from the first year = $28,877.75
Roth: $20k - $3k taxes = $17k contribution, 6% return for 10 years = $30,444.41
I think this is getting down to favor Roth in the long term - at least for me - since 10 years about the pay-off point. But the money will probably sit there much longer (I like my job, and will probably live off of brokerage accounts when I first retire anyway). Although, at the end of the day - what really matters is that I've saved something and that I sleep at night. Talking with my dad, I know it's good to have a nice mix of both, and I certainly have that already, and will continue to have that as my income grows because I won't be able to contribute to tIRA starting next year.
I'm actually very much on the fence with this now. I get your reasoning, but I also get mine. I'm not sure what I want to do. I feel like it's a bit of a tossup, and I'd sure like to be a bit more liquid for a while due to my recent employment situation so traditional is more tempting from that perspective, but stashing roth money while I'm in a low tax bracket is also tempting. Six-of-one....