IRA and Roth IRA

Pros and Cons of a Roth IRA

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2014
Pros and Cons of a Roth IRAWhen saving for retirement there are many choices to make. One of those choices is to decide between a Roth IRA and a Traditional IRA. Both have their distinct advantages and disadvantages. A Roth IRA offers lots of significant benefits, including flexibility on distributions and withdrawals. Unfortunately, some people choose one of the other based on misinformation. Before deciding if a Roth IRA is better, or a Traditional IRA is the way to go, it’s important to know how to compare the two. Then you can begin to ask yourself the questions that matter and impact your present...

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Should You Start an IRA For Your Kids?

Tuesday, October 15th, 2013
Should You Start an IRA For Your Kids?When we think about individual retirement accounts, and how important it is to start them early in our careers, we might assume that this means opening our first account when we get our first job after graduation. But this thinking is unnecessarily restrictive, and people can greatly improve the chances of a financially successful and secure retirement by starting their IRAs even earlier than that. Instead, you should be working to help your children begin their own IRAs as early as possible. The IRS rules governing IRAs actually have no minimum age requirement, so your child can have their own...

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Converting To a Roth IRA? 3 Questions to Ask Yourself First.

Wednesday, September 25th, 2013
Converting To a Roth IRA 3 Questions to Ask Yourself FirstSaving money for retirement is one of the most important financial tasks you face during you life. However, there are a number of different options for retirement saving, and the method that’s best for you will likely depend on several factors. One of the most popular types of retirement savings accounts is the Individual Retirement Account (or “IRA”). There are two different types of IRAs; the Traditional IRA and the Roth IRA, and in some circumstances converting from a Traditional IRA to a Roth account can provide you with significant long-term financial benefits. Here is some retirement advice and three...

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How do IRA and 401(k) Withdrawals Work?

Wednesday, March 20th, 2013
How do IRA and 401k Withdrawals WorkChances are you’ll spend a significant portion of your working years saving for retirement by building up the balances in your traditional IRA or 401(k) account. Perhaps you’ll even save in both types of accounts. Over the course of your career (or careers) you may even accumulate several 401(k) or IRA accounts. When you reach your retirement age, whatever that age may be, you’ll start withdrawing these funds. It’s important to understand all of the rules and restrictions relating to IRA and 401(k) withdrawals; you do have flexibility in the timing and amounts of your withdrawals, but not complete freedom. ...

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Tips to Consolidate Your IRAs

Monday, March 11th, 2013
Tips to Consolidate Your IRAsIndividual retirement accounts (IRAs) are the foundation of most individuals’ retirement nest eggs. Unlike 401(k) accounts, which need to be sponsored by your employer and which may not provide you with a full range of investment options, IRAs are almost entirely within your control. Because it’s so easy to open multiple IRAs, we can sometimes find ourselves with a number of different accounts. But it can be difficult to manage too many accounts effectively. In addition, we might not be able to make some of the larger investments we’d like when our savings are spread across a large number of...

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Information and Advice on IRA Contribution Limits for 2012

Friday, January 20th, 2012
Information and Advice on IRA Contribution Limits for 2012Individual Retirement Accounts (“IRAs”) remain the most popular investment vehicle for many individuals and married couples. 401(k)s are certainly popular, but they’re usually much less flexible than IRAs, and many people don’t like going through the hassle of moving or rolling over their accounts when they change employers. IRAs are generally subject to lower contribution limits than 401(k)s and other investment vehicles. Furthermore, in order to receive the tax advantages of a traditional IRA, your income (or your joint income if you file a joint tax return) must be below a certain level. Here is some information and advice about...

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Use Your IRA to Fund Your Small Business

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
Many of us have at least one Individual Retirement Account (IRA) as part of our retirement planning portfolio. IRAs are an essential part of retirement planning, because you have much more control over your investment choices than you do for a 401(k) plan or employer-sponsored retirement plan. Even the most flexible and comprehensive 401(k) plan will only have a limited number of investment options, depending on what company is acting as the plan’s sponsor. Even though IRAs are much more flexible, there are still limitations on the types of assets that can be held within the account; for...

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How And Why Should You Rollover Your IRA

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
When you retire or leave a job, you should seriously consider moving the money you’ve invested in one or more employer-sponsored retirement plans to an individual retirement account (IRA). An IRA rollover is an excellent way to keep your money accumulating tax deferred. Here is some advice about how to rollover your IRA. When you rollover an IRA, you are transferring your retirement savings to an account at a private institution of your choice (typically a brokerage account), and you choose how you will invest the funds. To preserve the tax-deferred status of retirement savings, the funds must be...

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Roth IRA Overview

Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Roth IRAs and traditional IRAs have some significant differences. Roth IRA distributions are tax-free as long as you begin withdrawing funds after you are 59 1/2 and have had the account for at least five years. However, unlike traditional IRAs, contributions are not tax-deductible when you make them. Traditional IRA contributions are deductible if you meet certain criteria, but distributions are taxable at the rate in effect for ordinary income and must begin by April 1sfollowing the year you turn 70 1/2. Because of the significant economic turmoil in 2009 Congress waived the Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) for 2009. With a...

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IRA Information

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

With pensions becoming less and less common, and Social Security’s future in question, it’s never been more important to think about retirement well in advance. For those whose employers offer 401K plans, they are usually the easiest and most convenient way to save for retirement. But will your 401K yield enough money to see you through your golden years? And what if there is no 401K plan available to you? Whether you have yet to set up a retirement plan or need to supplement your 401K, an Individual Retirement Account, or IRA, can help. Available from many financial institutions, IRAs are...

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