Can you explain what the IRA (traditional and Roth), as opposed to a regular savings account? I understand that the IRA savings accounts have a higher dividend rate, but all I know.
Please put your answer in simple English. I got a technical answer from someone who is already, and it makes little sense. Therefore, this issue.
Thank you!
IRA Individual Retirement Accounts. These accounts are special tax treatment and restrictions on withdrawal unlike your traditional savings account that gives free access to your money at any time.
Since IRA for retirement, you usually only put money in these accounts you will not need until you reach retirement age. In general, there is a penalty if you withdraw money from the IRA before reaching age 59.5.
The main difference between a traditional and a Roth IRA is how the money is taxed. The money was added to a traditional IRA is tax deductible. This means that if you put $ 2,000 into an IRA this year, you normally get to deduct $ 2,000 from your taxable income, therefore reducing your current income taxes. But when you withdraw money from a traditional IRA to a certain point in the future, it is taxed as income.
A Roth IRA on the other had no immediate tax benefit, but qualified withdrawals are tax free. This means you will not get a tax break to the front to put money into a Roth, but when you withdraw money in retirement, it will be tax free.
So if you want to save money for retirement and I know you will not need it for a long time, the IRA can be a good idea. But if you invest the money you might need in an IRA just to get a better rate of return, you may do more harm than good since you are usually penalized for early withdrawals.
There are a number of special circumstances and a variety of investment choices with IRA must be taken into consideration, so it might be better to get good advice before jumping in.
So, remember: savings accounts are liquid, and give you access to your money at any time. IRA for the money you will probably not need to come to retirement and special tax benefits, but may be penalties if you do not use them correctly.
Posted on January 23, 2010.