I think I may have screwed up.
In my haste to make a Roth conversion in 2018, I don't think I thoroughly considered whether I am even eligible to do so.
In order to make a contribution (not a conversion) to a traditional IRA or Roth I must have income. All of my earnings are excluded by the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, so the result is that I have no income and thus I am not eligible to make an IRA contribution.
Question 1:
If I am not eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA, can I even open a Roth IRA account?
At Vanguard I could not open a Roth IRA without funding it so I put in $1 just to get the account open, with the intention of making a Roth conversion.
The $1 to open the Roth is an ineligible contribution. I know that. But now that the account is open can I simply make the Roth conversion and then take the $1 out of the account to avoid the consequences of an ineligible contribution?
Question 2:
I read that to contribute to a Roth IRA the account must be opened before the tax deadline of the year you want to begin funding it. So to make a Roth contribution in 2018 the account must have been opened before April 17.
First, is that true?
If that is true, would it prohibit a Roth conversion if my account was opened after that date?
I followed the Vanguard instructions when I opened the Roth and I was not tipped off to any of these concerns. The Bogleheads Wiki on Roth conversions does not address these things.
Thank you very much.