What counts as qualified schooling costs for early withdrawal from an IRA? [more inside]
posted on Aug 14, 2008 - 1 answers

Can I opt out of paying income taxes on inherited retirement benefits in the USA? I won't be filing a tax return, anyway. [more inside]
posted on Jul 22, 2008 - 9 answers

What, if anything, is a "Target Retirement" fund like VTIVX missing? [more inside]
posted on Jun 30, 2008 - 4 answers

Will opening a Solo 401(k) before year's end reduce my modified adjusted gross income (MAGI)? I'm a 28-year-old freelance worker with a sole proprietorship, and I'd like to be able to fully fund my Roth IRA for 2008 [more inside]
posted on Jun 26, 2008 - 1 answers

I'd like to cash out some beneficiary investment accounts. I'd like to know in advance what the taxes and penalties (if any) would be. In other words, what would be the cash remaining from this. [more inside]
posted on May 6, 2008 - 2 answers

I have a new IRA. Limited experience with them. How do you choose between the various mutual funds? [more inside]
posted on Apr 25, 2008 - 13 answers

so ive got like $3500 or so that i want to put into either a roth ira and some index funds.....or that id like to put all together in the market. there are these funds ive been reading about a little in the market itself that are labeled as 'safe' bets. they pay anywhere from 10-15% return and are pretty much all in energy, oil, gas, drilling, and that sort of thing. it's buy and hold on a smaller scale. anyway, that's one option and the other option is to just put the minimum in a roth and buy about a grand's worth of fidelity funds. my goals are to be able to help pay rent and to build small amounts of wealth. alright, lemme know what you think.
posted on Apr 18, 2008 - 18 answers

Questions about opening a Roth IRA -- particularly, does it matter where I open it? If so, Fidelity vs. Vanguard? [more inside]
posted on Apr 6, 2008 - 13 answers

I inherited a proportional share (a third or a half, usually) of several small IRA accounts last March. I have yet to actually claim these inheritances or do rollovers for them, so technically they're still under the name of the decedent. Do I have any tax obligations for these for 2007? Does the decedent (meaning do I have to do anything for the decedent's 2007 return)?
posted on Apr 4, 2008 - 10 answers

I want to buy my first house AND not owe any Federal taxes for 2007...Traditional IRA Perhaps? [more inside]
posted on Mar 26, 2008 - 15 answers

Looking for Mutual Funds/Investments with low initial investment fees. [more inside]
posted on Mar 20, 2008 - 9 answers

Can I contribute to my Roth-IRA from my savings account if I don't earn an income? [more inside]
posted on Mar 19, 2008 - 7 answers

How does the IRS find out if you exceed the income limit and contribute to a Roth IRA?
posted on Mar 12, 2008 - 3 answers

How can I contribute to my IRAs as soon as possible? [more inside]
posted on Mar 5, 2008 - 12 answers

I forgot to claim a $4,000 contribution to a Roth IRA account during the 2006 tax season. How do I go about claiming this in the 2007 tax season? (more inside) [more inside]
posted on Feb 21, 2008 - 11 answers

Did my 401K just blow my IRA deduction out of the water? [more inside]
posted on Feb 15, 2008 - 7 answers

With the US economy apparently getting ready to go 'foom!', a friend of mine has become very excited about silver as an investment. [more inside]
posted on Dec 21, 2007 - 31 answers

You can use your Roth IRA for your first time home purchase (up to 10k). However, you must have the account open for 5 years. How is account defined? [more inside]
posted on Dec 20, 2007 - 5 answers

Using 401K & Roth IRA to purchase second property ?? Is this possible ?? Any suggestions. Thanks, ek
posted on Nov 18, 2007 - 13 answers

I have a Simple IRA from a previous employer. Should I roll it into my 401(k), convert it to a Roth IRA, or do something else entirely? [more inside]
posted on Nov 13, 2007 - 8 answers

The new job I'm at offers a crappy 401K program--no matching at all!! Should I enroll in it or just keep my money and put it into an IRA when I have the minimum? [more inside]
posted on Nov 6, 2007 - 23 answers

IRAfilter: Am about to get a traditional IRA to roll some retirement funds into from an expired employer plan. Got stuck when I was asked which mutual funds to select. [more inside]
posted on Jul 17, 2007 - 10 answers

What are the rules about selling shares held in a Roth IRA? Warning: still a bit of a finance n00b... [more inside]
posted on Jul 13, 2007 - 17 answers

What provisions of the PATRIOT Act govern the opening of my Roth IRA? [more inside]
posted on Jun 7, 2007 - 4 answers

Health Savings Accounts (HSA's) ... Can they be used as just another tax-free retirement account after you max out your Roth IRA? [more inside]
posted on May 16, 2007 - 6 answers

I have $100,000. What the hell should I do with it? I'm 24. I have no credit card debt at all. I never went to college, so I have no loans to pay. I still live at home, so I have no rent/mortgage. I drive a car that has already been paid for. I'm self employed, but it isn't something that really needs money "put into it." Like, I don't need better equipment or a bigger office or advertising or anything like that. What I'm wondering is, what should I do with this money? [more inside]
posted on Apr 14, 2007 - 42 answers

I'm an employee at a small business. I need retirement fund ideas beyond the Roth IRA? [more inside]
posted on Mar 1, 2007 - 9 answers

I have a 401(k) from a previous employer. What should I roll it into? [more inside]
posted on Feb 27, 2007 - 9 answers

Does it make sense to (and what are the tax implications) of converting IRA funds into a Roth IRA account? [more inside]
posted on Jan 25, 2007 - 12 answers

A friend in her mid-40s is, for various reasons, only now getting a belated start on planning for retirement. Help me point her in the right direction! [more inside]
posted on Nov 3, 2006 - 13 answers

Should I invest in an unmatched 401k first or IRA first? I know that if one's employer matches 401k contributions that it's important to make sure to take advantage of that. But I'm less clear about the advantages of an unmatched 401k vs. an IRA, for retirement investing. If, say, one were to want to invest $5000 income, would it make more sense to fund the full $4000 in the IRA (probably Roth, as we're in our 30s) before contributing to the 401k? Or should it all be in the 401k? (Generally speaking of course). I've tried to do a little reading around on this, but on this particular question I remain confused.
posted on Nov 2, 2006 - 12 answers

Is there a way to roll over U.S. government bonds into an IRA tax-free? [more inside]
posted on Nov 2, 2006 - 3 answers

Total beginner to investing and finance, researching how to start investing maybe $2K each year, mostly in socially responsible mutual funds -- and how a young, healthy person should balance retirement investment with other kinds of investments. [more inside]
posted on Oct 27, 2006 - 10 answers

Are there tax consequences from buying and selling stock within a Roth IRA? [more inside]
posted on Oct 14, 2006 - 2 answers

Is ING Direct a good place to have a Roth IRA? Other suggestions for easy, cheap plans? Can I do this without hiring a professional to advise me? [more inside]
posted on Aug 22, 2006 - 15 answers

I'm confused - I want to plan for my retirement and have got as far as applications for a 401k and a Roth IRA; but then it all goes hideously wrong.... [more inside]
posted on Aug 13, 2006 - 19 answers

Tax laws allow you to withdraw money penalty-free from your IRA up to $10,000 if you use it towards a first-time home purchase. We just got the check -- my question is, how do we prove later on that we did use the money for the house?
posted on Aug 4, 2006 - 14 answers

Having trouble with my 401(k) direct rollover... how screwed am I? [more inside]
posted on Jun 26, 2006 - 6 answers

Should I open my Roth IRA now and buy what I can afford, or wait until I can afford the minimum investment in the fund I really like? [more inside]
posted on May 12, 2006 - 9 answers

Should I cash in my IRAs to pay off debt? Explanation after the jump... [more inside]
posted on May 3, 2006 - 28 answers

Managing my IRAs online? [more inside]
posted on Apr 29, 2006 - 7 answers

Please help with some early retirement advice: I am 35 and have a slowly progressive degenerative neurological condition. I would like to save money for the future because I'm not sure how long I will be able to work. I don't make a lot of money. I have a 401k at work, but what else would you recommend for someone in my situation. [more inside]
posted on Mar 7, 2006 - 20 answers

Tax Attorney Filter: I contributed too much to my Roth IRA 3 years in a row. Should I be worried? [more inside]
posted on Feb 24, 2006 - 6 answers

$95 IRA termination fee (well-known regional bank): legit? unavoidable? [more inside]
posted on Aug 30, 2005 - 8 answers

I want to open a Roth IRA account. How do I choose the bank? [more inside]
posted on Jun 22, 2005 - 16 answers

I need to roll over some 401K savings into an IRA account - any major differences and recommendations between Fidelity vs Vanguard?
posted on Apr 20, 2005 - 14 answers

TaxFilter: Last year I opened an IRA (for 2003), and this year I want to do the same and put away the maximum contribution. Can I just transfer the money into the old account? Or do I need to open a new one?
posted on Apr 12, 2005 - 2 answers

InvestmentFilter: So I'm permanent now at work, and have to pick a 401k option. I don't think i'll be there for many years, and cashed out the last time I had one. (But then again, i'm older now, and 70 is only 31 years away).What do you guys suggest for a 1-3 year timeframe, 401k-wise, given the fluctuating market? (If I need to, I have absolutely no qualms about cashing out again, and have never had much faith in the market at all, in general.)
posted on Jan 29, 2004 - 24 answers

You can use your IRA to buy real estate? A read through of the web site made me think it was a scam, but a quick trip to Google led to a bunch of other links, including this one from msn.com.

Does anyone on Metafilter have experience using IRA funds to purchase real estate?
posted on Jan 21, 2004 - 4 answers