Financial Advisor, Darcy Bergen Explains the Rules of IRA Investing & Withdraw
Financial advisor Darcy Bergen holds more than two decades of experience in financial planning. He sheds light on the rules of IRA contributions and withdrawals.
“The rate of return on investments will vary over time, particularly for longer-term investments. Investments that offer the potential for high returns also carry a high degree of risk, and actual returns will fluctuate.”
Darcy Bergen further explains, “The types of securities and strategies illustrated may not be suitable for everyone. Contributions to a Traditional IRA may be fully or partially deductible, depending on your individual circumstance. Distributions from traditional IRA and most other employer-sponsored retirement plans are taxed as ordinary income Roth IRA contributions cannot be made by taxpayers with high incomes. To qualify for the tax-free and penalty-free withdrawal of earnings, Roth IRA distributions must meet a five-year holding requirement and distribution must take place after age 59½.”
Single Filing
If your modified adjusted gross income is less than $122,000, you can make a full contribution. If your modified adjusted gross income is more than 122,000, but less than 137,000, a partial contribution can be made.
Married/Joint Filing
If your joint modified adjusted gross income is less than $193,000, you can make a full contribution. If your joint modified adjusted gross income is more than $193,000, but less than $203,000, you can make a partial contribution.
A full contribution is $6,000 for anyone under the age of 50. For those 50 and over, an increase of 1,000 is allowed for a contribution in order to enable those individuals to put away more for retirement at an accelerated rate.
Roth vs. Traditional
Roth Ira contributions have no tax deductions or breaks; however, the earnings and withdraw are typically tax-free. With Traditional IRAs, federal and state tax deductions can be made. When an individual is retired, withdrawals are taxed at ordinary rates.
Withdraw Rules
Darcy Bergen understands that many individuals are confused by the tax exemptions and tax penalties regarding withdrawing contributions. Traditional IRA withdrawals before the age of 59½ may incur a 10% penalty on top of federal and state taxes. At age 59½, you can withdraw funds from an IRA without penalty.
Generally, once you reach age 70½, you must begin taking required minimum distributions. A tax professional can help assess your specific situation. Tax-free and penalty-free withdrawal also can be taken under certain other circumstances, such as a result of the owner’s death. The original Roth IRA owner is not required to take minimum annual withdrawals.
Stretch IRA
An inherited or Stretch IRA is allocated to a beneficiary by a parent, grandparent, spouse or others to hand down their IRA to a benefactor. The benefits of a stretch IRA are numerous. Some advantages include avoiding sizable tax brackets, paying taxes on a deferred basis, and that the preliminary decisions can be altered if needed.