IRA actually stands for Individual Retirement Account. They come in several different types that follow different rules and cater to different people’s needs. I have recently started contributing to a Roth IRA and would like to discuss why.

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?

First, the contributions to a Roth IRA are non-tax-deductible. This may seem inconvenient in the short term sense, but it actually benefits your retirement fund. This is because you are limited in the amount you are allowed to contribute annually. The 2008 maximum (for households with less than $100k annually) is $5000 for both a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA. Supposing you max out both, the $5000 in the regular IRA is really worth only about $4000 because it will have to be taxed later. But the $5000 in the Roth IRA is true. It was already taxed before contributing it because you didn’t deduct it from your income. Cool right?

Second, after funds have been in the Roth IRA for 5 years, they can be withdrawn with no penalties or taxation. There are penalties and taxes applied to any withdrawals from a regular IRA before you hit 59 1/2 years old.

I like the Roth because I am young and occasionally have emergency needs (ie. new car, new roof). Since you are allowed to withdraw funds after 5 years, you can use it for any of these emergencies you may fall into. I am planning for retirement, and if ever the need arises I have the funds to cover emergencies too. Nice huh?

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.

Tags: financila investments, investment, IRA, Planning, Retirement, Roth IRA
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