Could a Roth IRA be Better Than a 401(k)?
Very few people whom I know are familiar with the benefits of the Roth IRA. It was named for the late Senator William Roth of Rhode Island, who proposed it. It is similar to a traditional IRA except contributions are never tax-deductible. Contributions to traditional IRAs are sometimes deductible or partially deductible, depending on your income and whether or not you have a retirement plan like a 401(k) at work. With Roth IRAs, individuals are limited to incomes of $95,000 ($150,000 for couples) to be eligible for full contribution amounts.
However, unlike the traditional IRA, you can withdraw your contributions from a Roth IRA at any time, at any age without penalty. Earnings are not taxed if you wait until at least age 59 1/2 to begin withdrawing them and have held your Roth IRA for at least five years. With a Roth IRA, the contributions are taxed without any deferment, but they grow tax-free and the gains are never taxed (see above). With a 401(k), contributions are tax-deferred, but eventually the contributions and gains will be taxed. By the time most people retire, the earnings from their retirement accounts will far exceed their contributions, due to compounding.
With that in mind, one could make the case for a Roth IRA possibly being better than a 401(k). Here's an illustration. Let's suppose that over the course of 25 years you contributed a total of $75,000 to your 401(k) and your employer kicked in $30,000 during that same period for a total of $105,000. By the end of those 25 years, your compounded gains (assuming you're getting a decent rate of return) could total $500,000. When you retire, you will eventually pay taxes on the entire $605,000 as well as the gains you receive from it after retirement.
Now, let's assume that, instead of contributing to your 401(k) for those 25 years, you contributed only $50,000 to your Roth IRA (without a matching contribution from your employer, of course). The assumption is also that you would not be able to contribute as much because you are using post-tax dollars for the Roth IRA vs. pre-tax dollars for the 401(k). However, because you generally have more investment options with the Roth IRA money than with the 401(k) money, you are likely to find a better rate of return. With that in mind, let's say your compounded gains could total $400,000.
When you retire, you could have the entire $450,000 as well as the gains you could receive from it post-retirement, completely tax free!
As you can see, it is possible that many people could come out better putting at least a portion of their retirement funds into a Roth IRA. Judge for yourself. I actually contribute more to my Roth IRA than I do to my 401(k). I put just enough into my 401(k) to get my employer's maximum matching contribution, and that's all. However, I'm not a financial advisor and I don't play one on TV, so check with your financial advisor to see what would be right for you.
For more information about the Roth IRA, see the following link: http://www.rothira.com..
Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Hopewell, VA. He also serves as a political columnist for American Daily and operates his own website - http://www.commenterry.com - on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.Cash Now and Rainmaker Announce 401(k) or IRA Rollover Assets to Finance new Cash Now Licenses and Expansions
Cash Now Corporation, (CHNW) a pioneer and continuing leader in the payday loan industry, is now offering a way for investors to use their 401(k) or IRA rollover assets to finance new Cash Now licenses and expansions and as capital for other new businesses. Cash Now can make this offer now because it has established an exclusive agreement with a U.S. tax consulting firm specializing in 401(k), 403 (b), Pension, Profit Sharing, IRA rollover or other types of retirement plans. The result is that Cash Now can help entrepreneurs and investors use their 401(k), 403 (b), pension, profit sharing, IRA rollovers or other retirement plans to finance the purchase of a franchise. Cash Now can also advise entrepreneurs and investors on how to use these assets as startup capital for other businesses or to purchase business property with no taxes, no penalties and no loan repayment.
This can be done without distributions, taxes, penalties, or the use of loans. In many cases the money can be...
Cash Now and Rainmaker Announce 401(k) or IRA Rollover Assets to Finance new Cash Now Licenses and Expansions
Ira > Cash Now and Rainmaker Announce 401(k) or IRA Rollover Assets to Finance new Cash Now Licenses and Expansions
SEP IRA Contributions for 2003 Can Still Be Made
Alexandria, Virginia (ContentDesk) January 22 2004--Small business owners still have a chance to cut their 2003 taxes by contributing to a SEP-IRA before filing their business tax return.
Employer contributions made to a Simplified Employee Pension-Individual Retirement Account, known as a SEP plan, are deductible for 2003, even if the SEP plan is opened and the contributions are made in 2004."A SEP-IRA allows small business owners and sole proprietors to cut their tax liability by making retirement contributions for their eligible employees," says Daniel Lamaute, retirement specialist at InvestSafe.com, a retirement planning website for the self-employed."The SEP-IRA has several advantages for employers", says Lamaute, "Employers get a tax deduction, and the SEP-IRA contribution is not taxed as income to the employees.
The earnings within the SEP IRA grow taxed deferred until the participant pulls the money out, usually at retirement." For 2003, employers can contribute...
Ira > SEP IRA Contributions for 2003 Can Still Be Made
WHAT IS A TRADITIONAL IRA?
With a traditional Investment Retirement Account (IRA) you pay taxes when you take the money out at retirement in the future. Make sure that this account is really worth opening in your situation because what you put in the account today may be fully deductible, partially deductible or non deductible, depending upon your income and other retirement coverage. If you contributions are not fully deductible then this account is probably not for you. The traditional (and Roth IRAs) allow you to save $3,000.00 in 2004 and $4,000.00 in 2005. If you are over 50 years old you can save an additional $500.00 as catch-up.
You put the maximum amount in if you (or your spouse) are not covered at any time during the tax year by a retirement plan, including a 401(k) account, at work. If you can't afford to save the maximum then just do the best that you can.If you are single or a head-of-household taxpayer with annual adjusted gross income (AGI) between $40,000 and $50,000 and are eligible for...
WHAT IS A TRADITIONAL IRA?
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Roth IRA Limits
Named after Senator William V. Roth, Jr., the Roth IRA, or individual retirement arrangements or individual retirement accounts as they are commonly called, are fast emerging as popular saving schemes. The advantage of this scheme is that the tax payers, on meeting a certain eligibility criteria, can contribute some amount of their compensation income into the Roth IRA account, and the savings that grow in it will be tax-free.
One thing to be kept in mind is that the tax benefits accrue only when an individual withdraws money from the account. Withdrawals are subject to certain Limits in order to be tax-free.
First and foremost, a person who has either reached fifty-nine and a half years of age or has suffered some sort of disability can make the withdrawals after a period of five years. The withdrawn money will also be tax-free if the person needs it to buy, build or rebuild his first home.
Also, regarding contributions, there are certain set Limits....
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Cash Now and Rainmaker Announce 401(k) or IRA Rollover Assets to Finance new Cash Now Licenses and Expansions
Cash Now Corporation, (CHNW) a pioneer and continuing leader in the payday loan industry, is now offering a way for investors to use their 401(k) or IRA rollover assets to finance new Cash Now licenses and expansions and as capital for other new businesses. Cash Now can make this offer now because it has established an exclusive agreement with a U.S. tax consulting firm specializing in 401(k), 403 (b), Pension, Profit Sharing, IRA rollover or other types of retirement plans. The result is that Cash Now can help entrepreneurs and investors use their 401(k), 403 (b), pension, profit sharing, IRA rollovers or other retirement plans to finance the purchase of a franchise. Cash Now can also advise entrepreneurs and investors on how to use these assets as startup capital for other businesses or to purchase business property with no taxes, no penalties and no loan repayment.
This can be done without distributions, taxes, penalties, or the use of loans. In many cases the money can be...
Cash Now and Rainmaker Announce 401(k) or IRA Rollover Assets to Finance new Cash Now Licenses and Expansions
Ira > Cash Now and Rainmaker Announce 401(k) or IRA Rollover Assets to Finance new Cash Now Licenses and Expansions
DISCOVER THE RETIREMENT BREAKTHROUGH ?THE ROTH IRA!
If you don't know what a Roth IRA is then stop everything, print this article and read it carefully as this will certainly be the most valuable information you read this year. This next retirement account is to your net worth what light bulb was to electricity. Let me tell you about this wonderful financial invention called a Roth IRA!The main difference between the Roth and traditional IRA is that with the Roth you pay taxes first and then make the contribution. This is absolutely fantastic if you make a lot of money in the stock market because you NEVER have to pay even a dime on the capital gains! There are a ton of other advantages to the Roth IRA. Unlike the traditional IRA you can be of any age and still contribute.
You can also make a contribution to a Roth IRA at any time for a particular calendar year up until the due date of your tax return for that year. This means that if you want to make a Roth IRA contribution for 2005, you could make it anytime between January 1,...
DISCOVER THE RETIREMENT BREAKTHROUGH ?THE ROTH IRA!
Ira > DISCOVER THE RETIREMENT BREAKTHROUGH ?THE ROTH IRA!
CyberDefender Virus Alert: CyberDefender Reports Very High Category 8.2 Virus Attack in Real-time
(ContentDesk) June 20, 2006 CyberDefender(tm) Corporation, the security developer with the industry's most advanced early defense technology, has identified the following potentially dangerous category 8.2 virus for June 20, 2006:
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Could a Roth IRA be Better Than a 401(k)? suits Ira
Could a Roth IRA be Better Than a 401(k)?
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