| |
| |
|
Wealth Building Information |
|
|
|
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.
MORE RESOURCES:
Wealth-Building - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Truth About Setting Up A Wealth-Pump Business: The Passive Income Myth Exposed In theory the idea of generating additional (and passive) business revenue from books, CD programmes and eBooks couldn't be simpler. Find a market. The Wealthy Mindset What is the difference between wealthy people and poor (even average) people? It is not all the money that wealthy people have and the average don't, nor the luxury, nor the lifestyle. It is their mindset. Build Wealth From Home As you sit in traffic, inching along between irate drivers, you think to yourself, "there must be a better way." You get to work, you endure another tirade from an incompetent boss, and you think, "there must be a better way. A New Economic Policy Anyone knows that material wealth is measured in goods: apples, cars, shoes, sheep, etc. When the number and the quality of these things increases, wealth increases. Starting With Smaller Goals First And Work Your Way Up Until You Achieve Financial Freedom While you need to have a lot of positive-thought and confidence in order to be self-motivated, there are a few things that you can do which will help you to achieve all three things. These steps are generally pretty easy to do - and since they're simple steps, they may seem a little less daunting at first than having to figure out how to be positive-thinking and confident right out of the blue. Gain More Control of Your 401k - What It Can Mean to Your Future Points to ponder as you consider what can be done to maximize your 401k returns:1.Are You Maximizing Your 401k Returns?2. Do You want to Live on Macaroni and Cheese when You Retire or Filet Mignon? How Much Money Will I Need to Earn to Retire?This is the most common concern of people who are contemplating retirement. While most financial planners would tell you that you need to earn as much in retirement as you did while you were working, this isn't always the case. Lesson 2 - The Commodity Of Kings! What is "The Commodity of Kings""Power is simply "the ability to act." Since ancient times, power has been the commodity of kings. Five Straight Steps to Opening an Offshore Bank Account Despite what you may have read or heard, anyone is free to open an offshore bank account nowadays! In fact, banking offshore has been used successfully for tax reduction and asset protection by both individuals and worldwide organisations for decades.And opening an offshore bank account in this day and age couldn't be simpler either! Here are five straightforward steps to take towards opening an offshore bank account. Saving Money By Spending Wisely Why is it that the older and richer people become, the more conservative they are with their money? Have you ever done or know someone who has made an investment that promised a 10% interest or profit per month? Everyone wants to make above average profits. It is amazing how many people will send their very hard earned money across the world to Nigeria or to Boca Rattan, Florida on the promise of a telephone acquaintance to make them much richer. Warren Buffet: Wisdom from the Worlds Richest Investor In light of the dominant mindset overshadowing the market these days, a breath of fresh air might be welcome. This month, we're devoting this space to wisdom from Warren Buffett, the world's richest investor. Re-discovering the Fundamentals of Financial Planning To lose weight in the 80's, we went on low-calorie diets. In the 90's, we switched to low-fat diets, and now, in the 21st Century, we are completely convinced that it's all about the low-carb diet. Steps to Financial Freedom Financial freedom is the power to do what you will with your life without being forever bound by lack of money and over burdened by debt. This worthwhile goal can be achieved by anyone through careful planning and persistence. The 11 Best Money Saving Ideas of All Time - Part 3 At any time in history, no matter what the current state of the economy, no matter what the current trends, no matter what the unemployment rate is or where interest rates lurk, some money-saving ideas stay true.Some of you may have heard of these ideas before, others may be entirely new to you. Early Retirement The Dream of the Working Classes Everyone dreams of early retirement. The idea of no longer having to work at an early age is very attractive to some people and they dream and wish all day long about the day that they can afford to say, "Take this job and?" well, you know. Investing is About Discipline If you don't have discipline then walk away from the idea of being rich. You see, getting rich without discipline is relying on the lottery or your favorite pony ambling past the finish line in front. Why You Need To Buy and Sell Gold Coins (Part 4) Top Investment PerformanceThroughout history, many coin collections have produced substantial long-term profits for their owners. This is particularly true for coin collectors of this century. Rich or Poor - Get the Knowledge Most people work hard all their lives only to "retire" poor then try to live off meagre savings or a small (rapidly disappearing) Government pension. They are forced to live out their twilight years struggling with constant money problems. How To Be the Ultimate American Consumer Feel like a lemming lately? Ready to follow the crowd into the great plunge of Ultimate American Consumerism? Just in case you need a little help, here is a tongue-in-cheek look at how to continue the process of becoming the Ultimate American Consumer!1. Always spend right at the level of your after-tax earnings. Plan For Wealth One very important wealth creating habit is to set up a concrete plan that you can actually follow. You see, wealth takes planning, and is usually the result of taking a set of orderly, progressive steps from where you are now to where you want to be financially.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
