The Roth IRA (Individual Retirement Account), named after Senator William V. Roth, Jr., came into effect on January 1, 1998. A result of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, the Roth IRA provides a benefit which is otherwise not available in any other form of retirement savings. If you meet the criteria and subscribe to the Roth IRA, all your savings will be tax-free when you or your beneficiary draws on them.
Another advantage is that you can also avoid the early distribution penalties, which you would otherwise have to pay with any other type of withdrawals. The picture, however, is not all that rosy. This is because you don’t get a deduction when you contribute to the Roth IRS. But since you already paid the taxes for the money contributed to this account, you don’t have to pay any at the time of withdrawal.
You need to meet certain eligibility criteria in order to contribute to the Roth IRA. One basic condition is that you should have earned income. Also, the gross income should be within certain limits, which will depend on your tax-filing status. There is a limit to the amount that you can contribute towards the Roth IRA. For this year, the contribution can be either up to $4,000, or 100% of your earned income, depending on which is less. The time for filing the contributions is from January 1 of every year until the deadline for filing taxes.
Regarding distribution, the contributed money can be withdrawn from the Roth IRA anytime. As already mentioned, the money is both tax-free and penalty-free, if the Roth IRA has been in existence for at least 5 years. The other conditions include that the money can be withdrawn after the person has attained an age of fifty-nine and a half years, or if the person has become disabled. Also, the named beneficiary can withdraw the money after the person’s death.
Related Articles of Interest :
-
Roth IRA Conversion
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
A Roth IRA is an individual retirement account wherein a person can save his or her tax-deducted income for retirement and get tax-free earnings in returns. It is different from the traditional IRA account, in that the earnings are tax-exempt, but the earnings may or...
-
Roth IRA Contributions
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
The Roth IRA, or the individual retirement arrangement, is an ideal way to save for the retirement years. An individual can open his own IRA and contribute funds to it. What an individual contributes to the Roth IRA is termed as the compensation income. If...
-
Roth IRA Limits
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
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...
-
Roth IRA Accounts
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
In order to understand Roth IRA Accounts, you first need to understand the concept of a Roth IRA. IRA is an acronym for individual retirement arrangements, wherein an earning person can contribute his money to a Roth IRA account. The advantage of this arrangement is...
-
Roth IRA Rules
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
If you are thinking in terms of saving for your retirement, then the Roth IRA can prove to be a fruitful option. You can contribute a certain amount of your compensation income into a Roth IRA account. The amount contributed is nondeductible and so Roth...
-
Roth Vs. Traditional IRA
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
There are many schemes available to people who want to save for their retirement. Yet the ones that are the most popular are the regular or Traditional IRA savings and the relatively new Roth IRA. To understand the concepts of the Traditional IRA and the...
-
Roth IRA Withdrawals
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Roth IRAs are individual saving schemes meant for people with taxable income who meet certain eligibility criteria. They are different from the traditional IRA, in that the contributions made to them are subject to tax deductions, but the earnings themselves are tax-free. This means that...
-
Traditional IRA
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
IRAs started attracting attention as a valuable retirement plan in the 1970s. In a traditional IRA, the contributions are tax-deductible. The deposits made in the traditional IRA continue to grow, with certain tax advantages. But ultimately, when these tax-deductible contributions are withdrawn from the IRA,...
-
Retirement Income
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Retirees need money to support their families and pay for their medical bills after requirement. This makes it crucial for them to plan to avoid a financial crunch after retirement. Many people, who can afford to put some money aside for investments, opt for annuity...
-
State Tax Returns
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Tax returns are forms filed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or the state tax collection agency. These forms contain information on the calculation of income tax or other taxes. The standard US individual tax return is form 1040. There are several variations of this...