Thanks a lot for the fast and apt response Atlanta Tax Expert!
But, when you say Roth IRA is funded by money after taxes and a ceiling of 150K(should I be making more than that in a financial year?) and traditional IRA is pre-tax..
Do you mean, Traditional IRA account is funded from money before my employer sends out a pay stub?
How will I be able to fund this traditional IRA account with out asking my employer to put money from my pay into this account before applying taxes and sending me a pay stub for each pay period?
Is it possible to open both accounts?
So that if I need to take out money for say AUTO/HOME loan after 5 years, I can take from the Roth IRA(how much fee/tax will I be paying,if I have 20,000 after 5 years , as I think 4000 is the limit on yearly deposit to a ROTH IRA, and would like to withdraw all of that)
And be left with 20000 in the IRA which I wouldn't be touching until I turn 60?
I'm really novice in these matters and would appreciate your patience!
Thanks a lot!
-envy
Originally Posted by
AtlantaTaxExpert
-Envy:
You may open an IRA (Roth or traditional) with absolutely NO employer input, as long as your income qualifies you (Roth has a $150K ceiling).
Because the Roth IRA is funded with after-tax money, after five years, you can access it anytime you want with virtually no penalties.
The traditional IRA is a different story! It has all kinds of restrictions and a 10% Early Withdrawal Penalty that is real punitive in nature. Withdrawing at age 59.5 is basically the BEST way to handle a traditional IRA.