For many people, contributing the annual maximum to their IRA all at once is difficult. The next best option is to set up automatic payments that transfer money from your bank account to your brokerage account on a regular basis, for example, every other week or once a month. Establishing regular contributions also has another benefit: converting IRA to gold. Internal Revenue Service regulations allow you to convert your IRA into gold as part of your retirement savings plan. There are income restrictions on IRAs, which can reduce or eliminate the tax deduction you can request for your traditional IRA contributions.
If your employer matches contributions, dollar for dollar, up to 6 percent of your salary, first make sure you contribute at least 6 percent to each paycheck. You have the option of converting an existing 401 (k) or a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA, using the same clandestine strategy. Unlike the original owner of a Roth IRA and that person's spouse, the other beneficiaries must accept the distributions. If you have time to allow your investments to grow, even a few years if you maximize your IRA contribution can help you succeed in retirement.
However, to get the most out of a Roth IRA, you need to know how it works and what the maximum contribution limits are. The other key is to make contributions even better to automate the process completely (contact your human resources department to set up automatic contributions with paychecks or set up an automatic transfer from your bank). If you have a 401 (k) plan, you can still contribute the maximum allowable to an IRA, a Roth IRA (within income restrictions), or a combination of both. To avoid tax complications, you must quickly convert the non-deductible IRA to a Roth IRA before profits are made with the money.
Traditional IRA contributions are now tax-deductible, but you'll pay income taxes when you withdraw that money when you retire. In other words, if you inherit a Roth IRA from someone other than your spouse, you'll need to start making withdrawals from it, similar to a traditional IRA or 401 (k). If you contribute only once a year to your Roth IRA, you may invest your money at a high or low point in the market, which could prevent you from earning the maximum amount over time. Because Roth IRA contributions are limited by income, many people often wait until they pay their taxes to contribute.
In fact, financial planners often suggest funding a Roth IRA once you've contributed enough to your 401 (k) to receive the full equivalent contribution from your employer.
