A Money Market IRA Should Not Be Your Overall Strategy

Having enough money for retirement is something that all adults, regardless of age should be thinking about. A traditional IRA account is a beneficial way for individuals to prepare for retirement. The Traditional IRA helps you save money over time for your future retirement.

In order to begin contributing to your new Traditional IRA retirement plan you must meet a few requirements.

• In order to be a candidate for the Traditional IRA plan you must have a source of income. A source of income is required for anyone who wants to contribute to a Traditional IRA.
• Those individuals who have surpassed the age of 70 1/2 by the end of the year are no longer eligible to contribute.

Those individuals that meet the qualification for a Traditional IRA can enjoy some top notch tax benefits. The money that you set aside for your Traditional IRA is tax deferred. To better understand the benefits, simply remember you do not have to pay taxes on the money you put into the retirement plan. When you start to withdraw your money at 70 1/2 from the fund, you are then responsible for paying taxes on it. At this age most people are in a much lower tax bracket and pay fewer taxes. Any money that you elect to put in a Traditional IRA during the year is deductible income on that year’s federal income tax return.

Traditional IRA plans do have a limit on their yearly contribution amounts.

• $5,000 is the maximum contribution for 49 and younger.

If you are over the age of 50, $6,000 is the max contribution. Individuals who want to deduct their contributions must make sure to contribute by the yearly income tax deadline April 15. That means that you actually have until the next year in April to make contributions that count towards your current year’s deductible income.

• There is no set income limit for Traditional IRA plans.
• Tax deductions and other benefits are available as soon as you begin to contribute.
• If you expect to be in a lower tax bracket when you retire, you will ultimately pay less taxes overall on your money.
• Individuals should consider their options when trying to choose between a Traditional or Roth IRA and a 401K plan.

Disadvantages are possible if you choose the Traditional IRA plan over the other plan types.

• Any individual who is under the age of 59 1/2 that withdraws from their Traditional IRA account early is subject to early withdrawal penalties.
• If you have the opportunity to get in a retirement plan at work, you may run into eligibility problems when trying to make your tax deductions.
• Those individuals who do not start withdrawing their money at 70 1/2 are subject to seizure of percentage of their account funds by the IRS.

When you choose a retirement plan it is extremely important to look at the criteria in order to fit your specific needs. It may be better for you to stick with a Traditional IRA, or split your money between a Roth IRA and an employer retirement plan.

Confused about the differnce between Roth IRAs and traditional IRAs? To find out about Roth IRA rules, go to: Roth IRA Information.