While most people think of the Roth IRA as a retirement account, it is really a tax plan.
This, of course, means there are regulations you must comply with.
The Internal Revenue Service establishes the regulations that govern individual retirement accounts.
Taxation is one of the most important issues when considering an IRA.
The various forms of IRAs have different tax implications.
In order to decide which IRA is the best for your own situation, you need to have a good understanding of your own financial situation and future earning prospects as well as how each Ira's tax structure works.
The Roth IRA tax regulations generally favor a person who anticipates a higher income level in their later life.
This might be possible because of a large number of long-term investments that should be maturing after retirement.
In this case, the tax rate after retirement might be high as the earnings from these investments are realized and become eligible for taxation.
In a Traditional IRA, the anticipation is that there will be a lower tax rate after retirement.
If the tax rate after retirement is likely to be high, the Roth IRA is the ideal plan.
The contributions to the plan are taxed before they are deposited.
Since these contributions have already been subject to income tax, they can be withdrawn at anytime without penalty or additional tax.
The contributions will be invested during the lifetime of the account.
The earnings from these investments will be reinvested.
There is a good possibility that over the years these earnings will amount to a considerable sum.
The Roth IRA allows these earnings to be tax exempt also.
This is a major advantage of the Roth IRA.
After retirement, the earning may be withdrawn through distributions without increasing taxable income.
There are several situations where the earning may be withdrawn without penalty or taxation before retirement.
These include emergency medical expenses and educational expenses.
These early distributions are subject to a set of complex tax regulations and limits.
The best way to cope with the regulations and the implications of the tax regulations is to keep in mind that it falls under the heading of a taxation issue in your overall financial planning process.
When the IRA is seen as being a tax issue, it makes sense to have your tax professional involved in decisions regarding the management of your Roth IRA.
Attempting to navigate the tricky waters of Roth IRA tax regulations without help is highly risky.