IRA

The Roth 401k offers a lot of benefits that traditional 401ks do not. These are 6 great benefits and reasons you might want to sign up for the Roth option of 401k…

Have you ever thought about using a Roth IRA as an emergency fund? These are some of the pros and cons of creating a Roth Emergency Fund…

Here’s why a Roth IRA conversion may make sense for you Consider this: a Roth IRA allows tax-free growth and tax-free income distributions at age 59½ or older and as long as you have held your Roth account for 5 years or longer. … So, if your adjusted gross income (AGI) is $100,000 or less, you have an option to fund a Roth IRA with a withdrawal from a traditional IRA – at least through the end of 2009.

Here is a brief look at IRAs - the Roth IRA and the Traditional IRA…

Investing in companies you believe in… Many well-educated, morally and socially conscious investors wind up buying shares of companies whose beliefs and business practices are far removed from their own. Most investors simply haven’t thought about merging their personal beliefs with their investment strategies. Some may not even be aware of where and how their money is invested.

A week or so ago, I did a review of Jim O’Donnell’s The Shortest Investment Book Ever. In the review I mentioned that I thought the book was perfect for those who haven’t started their 401k or 403b because they don’t know what funds to invest in. In the most simple terms Jim explains to the reader exactly which funds to invest in and why. If you don’t have a 401k, 403b, or Roth IRA started, you should. And if you feel clueless as to how to invest the money, this book is for you.

I just finished James O’Donnell’s book called The Shortest Investment Book Ever: Wall Street Secrets for Making Every Dollar Count. Long title isn’t it? Like the title suggests it is short - about 140 pages and it is smaller in size as well.

Bible verses about retirement and resting: While the Bible doesn’t seem to have specific verses referring to retirement, it does point out the importance of rest. God, our creator, understands the value of rest and relaxation. That, of course, is why He created Sundays! To add to that… Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. Mark 6:31

Is your 401k losing money? After reading a few articles about people talking about their diminishing 401(k)s, I decided to check and see just how well mine has been holding up against the crisis. I haven’t checked it in months, because I am in it for the long haul and I know that over the last 100 years we have had about 25 recessions and 25 recoveries. I know, some of the talking heads are saying that this time it is different, but from the few I have lived through, they seem to say that every time.

My student loans were locked in at about 3%, but I don’t think rates that good are available today. I assume a 10% return on my retirement savings, so even if you are paying 5% on your student loans and earning 10% (or even 6%) you still come out ahead. Mathematically, this seems to be the much stronger answer. However, Dave Ramsey’s method -based on our behaviors rather than math, would eliminate any and all debts before investing for retirement.

Right now, you may be wondering why you should invest in a Roth IRA if you currently have a retirement plan (401k, 403b, etc.) with your employer. The Roth IRA has many benefits that other retirement plans don’t have, and chief among them is the fact that your investment earnings may accumulate tax-free. In other words, your Roth IRA has the opportunity to grow without incurring any taxes and can be distributed to you tax free, if some certain conditions are met.

You can now roll assets directly from a 401(k) to a Roth IRA. Previously you had to jump through a few hoops by first rolling the funds into a traditional IRA and then converting them to a Roth from there. You still won’t avoid paying

You just finished your degree and you are probably looking for your first “real” job. This is the perfect opportunity to decide how you would like your financial life to be. You have the choice to spend and buy whatever you feel like which will likely put you in heaps of debt.

What is an IRA account anyway? An Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a retirement savings plan that allows you to contribute to it up to….

4 steps to retirement savings

An Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a retirement savings plan that allows you to contribute up to $4,000 a year (in 2007). An IRA is an account in which you can have various different investments. You can put your IRA funds in stocks, mutual funds, CDs, money markets or other investments.