Debt Consolidation Loans In Canada Debt Consolidation Loans In Canada

Find out more on Debt Consolidation Loans In Canada Now!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Roth IRA Account

By Herbert Castillo

An IRA is also known as an Individual Retirement Account. There are many different types of these accounts. One in particular that I would like to discuss is the Roth IRA.

The Roth IRA was implemented in 1997 as a way to encourage the American people to start planning for their retirement in their youth rather than relying solely on their 401k plan or social security. By encouraging individual retirement planning, ultimately they would ease the strain on social security by only using it for those who really needed it. How do they encourage people to use the Roth IRA? What benefits does it provide over the traditional IRA?

For starters, the Roth IRA contributions are not tax deductible. And, most people would probably consider that a bad thing. But think about this. If you contribute the maximum allowed $5,000 (2008 Maximum for under $100,000 annual) from your income and don't pay taxes on it at time of contribution, then that $5,000 fund is really about a $4,000 fund. On the other hand, if you contribute that same amount to a Roth IRA and don't deduct it from your income tax form, then it is a true $5,000 fund. Which brings me to my next point.

Once funds have been contributed to the Roth IRA, after five years you are permitted to withdraw any contributions made penalty and tax free. With a traditional IRA you are penalized for any funds withdrawals before age 59 1/2. And regardless of when you pull out the funds you will pay taxes on 100% of it.

Since the Roth IRA allows you to withdraw funds after only five years of "seasoning", it makes for a great emergency fund. And the greatest thing is that if you don't have to use it for emergencies, you have a great nest egg for retirement. These allowances in the Roth are lax relative to a traditional IRA.

There are a few very strict withdrawal permissions that allow early withdrawal from a traditional IRA. For instance: You can use up to $10k from the account before 59 1/2 years of age for the purchase of a home. But as I mentioned before the rules are very strict. The buyer must be either the IRA holder, their spouse or a child of the holder, and they must have not owned a home in the previous two years. the other allowances follow suit with the strict circumstantial rules.

I chose to use the Roth IRA for the benefits it offers me. If you want to really find the best one for you, talk to a financial consultant and ask all the questions you can. Make the right choice because it means your future.

About the Author:

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home