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Is an ira contribution worth it?

Saving on an IRA can be profitable when you're trying to accumulate enough money for retirement. There are tax benefits and your money has the potential to grow. If your employer doesn't offer a retirement plan or you're self-employed, an IRA may make sense. Gold and Silver IRA Custodians can help you invest in precious metals, which can be a great way to diversify your retirement portfolio.

When you turn 72, the IRS requires you to add up the value of all your deductible and non-deductible IRAs and begin receiving distributions from your traditional (but not Roth) IRAs. The tax structure of a traditional IRA is the main difference from a Roth IRA and can be a great advantage for people looking to reduce their taxable income immediately. If you still want to keep non-deductible IRA contributions without converting them immediately, you should keep that cash separate from any IRA that has pre-tax contributions, O'Mara said. And unlike a Roth IRA, deductible and non-deductible IRA contributions can be combined in the same account. IRAs (of all types) enjoy certain tax advantages that can make them great places to save and invest for retirement.

However, if you are in a moderate-to-high tax bracket right now and qualify for the traditional IRA tax deduction, immediate tax savings from traditional IRA contributions may be the best way to do so. Many people who don't qualify to fully fund a deductible IRA or a Roth IRA miss out on this easy opportunity to save additional money for retirement, allowing them to grow tax-free. Non-deductible contributions to an IRA don't provide an immediate tax benefit because they're made with after-tax money, such as a Roth IRA. If you own the same shares in an IRA and it pays you dividends, they are not included in your taxable income.

Your IRA depositary can send you a statement of how much you need to withdraw, but it's best to have it done by a tax advisor, who can also help you determine what part of your RMD is taxable if it includes non-deductible contributions. And unlike a 401 (k) plan or other wage deferral plan, you can make contributions to a non-deductible IRA until the tax-filing deadline. Between age 59 and a half and 72, you can withdraw any amount from your IRA without penalty, but you're not required to do so. The calculation for determining the taxable and non-taxable ratio must be recalculated each year based on the value of all your IRA accounts as of December 31. The potential downside is that while traditional IRA contributions may be tax-deductible, withdrawals from a traditional IRA are considered taxable income regardless of the marginal tax rate or tax bracket in effect at that time.

In this case, the IRS evaluates the tax based on the combined balances of all your IRAs and not just the amount you're converting.