Traditional vs. Roth IRAs

Retegy Team
Retegy Team

January 8, 2019

Perhaps both traditional and Roth IRAs can play a part in your retirement plans.

IRAs can be an important tool in your retirement savings belt, and whichever you choose to open could have a significant impact on how those accounts might grow.

IRAs, or Individual Retirement Arrangements, are investment vehicles used to help save money for retirement. There are two different types of IRAs: traditional and Roth. Traditional IRAs, created in 1974, are owned by roughly 35.1 million U.S. households. And Roth IRAs, created as part of the Taxpayer Relief Act in 1997, are owned by nearly 24.9 million households.1

Both kinds of IRAs share many similarities, and yet, each is quite different. Let’s take a closer look.

Up to certain limits, traditional IRAs allow individuals to make tax-deductible contributions into the retirement account. Distributions from traditional IRAs are taxed as ordinary income, and if taken before age 59½, may be subject to a 10% federal income tax penalty. For individuals covered by a retirement plan at work, the deduction for a traditional IRA in 2019 has been phased out for incomes between $103,000 and $123,000 for married couples filing jointly and between $64,000 and $74,000 for single filers.2,3

Also, within certain limits, individuals can make contributions to a Roth IRA with after-tax dollars. To qualify for a tax-free and penalty-free withdrawal of earnings, Roth IRA distributions must meet a five-year account holding requirement and occur after age 59½. Like a traditional IRA, contributions to a Roth IRA are limited based on income. For 2019, contributions to a Roth IRA are phased out between $193,000 and $203,000 for married couples filing jointly and between $122,000 and $137,000 for single filers.2,3

In addition to contribution and distribution rules, there are limits on how much can be contributed to either IRA. In fact, these limits apply to any combination of IRAs; that is, workers cannot put more than $6,000 per year into their Roth and traditional IRAs combined. So, if a worker contributed $3,500 in a given year into a traditional IRA, contributions to a Roth IRA would be limited to $2,500 in that same year.4

Individuals who reach age 50 or older by the end of the tax year can qualify for annual “catch-up” contributions of up to $1,000. So, for these IRA owners, the 2019 IRA contribution limit is $7,000.4

If you meet the income requirements, both traditional and Roth IRAs can play a part in your retirement plans. And once you’ve figured out which will work better for you, only one task remains: opening an account.


Retegy Team

January 8, 2019

Share:

This material was prepared by MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. This information has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. Please note – investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment.

Recent updates
...

New Year, New Rules

Vladimir Kouznetsov, EA, CFP® - Jan 8, 2024
Read More
...

Navigating "Five-Year Rules" of Roth Accounts

Vladimir Kouznetsov, EA, CFP® - Oct 26, 2023
Read More
...

Understanding the Ins and Outs of Workplace 401(k) Plans

Vladimir Kouznetsov, EA, CFP® - Jul 28, 2023
Read More
...

Managing Debt: Effective Strategies

Vladimir Kouznetsov, EA, CFP® - Jul 25, 2023
Read More
...

Top Financial Mistakes to Avoid

Vladimir Kouznetsov, EA, CFP® - Jul 14, 2023
Read More

Copyright © 2023 Retegy LLC. All rights reserved.

Vladimir Kouznetsov, EA, CFP® is an investment advisor representative at Retegy LLC.
Retegy LLC is a registered investment advisor offering advisory services in the State of California, Washington, and other jurisdictions where exempted. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. The presence of this website on the Internet shall not be directly or indirectly interpreted as a solicitation of investment advisory services to persons of another jurisdiction unless otherwise permitted by statute. Follow-up or individualized responses to consumers in a particular state by Retegy LLC in the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation shall not be made without our first complying with jurisdiction requirements or under an applicable state exemption.
The information on this site is provided “AS IS” and without warranties of any kind either express or implied. To the fullest extent permissible under applicable laws, Retegy LLC disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, non-infringement, and suitability for a particular purpose. Retegy LLC does not warrant that the information will be free from error. None of the information provided on this website is intended as investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering. The information should not be relied upon for purposes of transacting securities or other investments. Your use of the information is at your sole risk. Under no circumstances shall Retegy LLC be liable for any direct, indirect, special or consequential damages that result from the use of, or the inability to use, the materials in this site, even if Retegy LLC or a Retegy LLC authorized representative has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall Retegy LLC have any liability to you for damages, losses, and causes of action for accessing this site. Information on this website should not be considered a solicitation to buy, an offer to sell, or a recommendation of any security in any jurisdiction where such offer, solicitation, or recommendation would be unlawful or unauthorized.
ADA Compliance Policy: Retegy LLC is committed to keeping our site compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. We welcome feedback on how to improve our site to make it accessible to everyone.