Developing the right savings strategy for retirement can be a confusing process. After working with clients for several decades, we've found there is still a tremendous amount of mystery around where people should be saving. More importantly, understanding the general tax treatment for the savings vehicles they rely on to help them reach their retirement goals.
The purpose of this blog post is to provide general education on the tax treatment of the most common and popular retirement investment account types. Unfortunately, tax laws and retirement regulations are broad and complex, so the information below is educational and not direct advice. It's essential to consult with a qualified professional (like us at Burney Wealth Management) to understand how these rules and strategies might apply to your situation.
Taxable investment accounts are the least restrictive of the available options, meaning they aren't required to be used for any specific purpose and they also don't need to be offered to you by an employer.
Purpose: General saving and investing, retirement savings
Accessibility: Today, almost anyone can open a brokerage account. They don't need to be offered by your employer and typically cost nothing to open.
TIP: Make sure you have an emergency cash reserve fund of at least 3 months of living expenses before opening a brokerage account since investments can fluctuate in value over short periods.
Here are some of the most critical points for investing in taxable accounts:
1. Contributions are made with money that has already been taxed: Money received from a paycheck or cash accumulated in a bank account that you'd like to invest for higher growth potential.
2. While funds are invested, you pay taxes based on the type of activity: Here is a list of some of the most common tax activity occurring inside of taxable accounts:
TIP: The tax rate you pay on the above activity is very dependent on your overall income level and tax situation. A good advisor will help construct a portfolio that minimizes taxes with an eye toward the account's long-term growth.
3. Withdrawals from taxable accounts are not taxable events in and of themselves: The simple act of taking money out of the account is not taxable, like some of the other account types we'll learn about below. However, any investment activity needed to generate cash to distribute from the account is still taxable based on the type of activity listed above.
Pre-tax investment accounts are a little more complex than taxable investment accounts. Unlike taxable accounts, these are explicitly earmarked for retirement savings and come with certain restrictions.
Most Common Account Types: Traditional IRA, Traditional 401(k), Traditional 403(b)
Purpose: Retirement savings
Accessibility: IRA's are opened with an investment company, and 401(k) and 403(b) plans are typically offered through your employer
Disclaimer: There are many important rules and restrictions related to retirement accounts, including limitations on how much you can contribute and when you can freely access the funds. For example, you cannot withdraw funds from pre-tax retirement accounts before age 59 ½ without penalty unless you meet specific criteria.
Here are some of the most important considerations for investing in pre-tax retirement accounts:
1. Contributions are made with money that is pre-tax, meaning it is not taxable in the year the deposit is made: This can be a point of confusion since the term "pre-tax" isn't always clear to everyone. Here is how pre-tax contributions typically occur:
Tip: Many employers will "match" your contribution into your pre-tax retirement account up to a certain percentage of your pay. Make sure you take advantage of this!
2. While the funds are invested, you DO NOT pay tax on the investment activity: This means that whatever income is generated, whether it's investment gains, dividends received, or interest earned, you do not pay tax (except for some rare and minor exceptions that are beyond the scope of this post). You pay tax later when funds are withdrawn from the account, and this is why these account types are often known as "tax-deferred" retirement accounts.
3. Withdrawals from pre-tax retirement accounts are taxed at your ordinary-income tax rate in the year distributions are made. You didn't pay taxes when you made contributions, you don't pay taxes on any investment activity that occurs inside of the account, so the IRS gets their "cut" by fully taxing you on amounts taken out of the account when you begin to spend from it to fund your retirement living expenses.
Roth accounts are the most tax beneficial of all account types, but with additional restrictions and planning considerations relative to taxable and pre-tax accounts.
Most Common Account Types: Roth IRA, Roth 401(k), Roth 403(b)
Purpose: Retirement savings
Accessibility: Roth IRA's are opened with an investment company, and Roth 401(k) and 403(b) plans might be offered through your employer
Disclaimer: There are many important rules and restrictions related to Roth retirement accounts, including limitations on how much you can contribute, how long the funds must remain in the account (known as the 5-year rule for Roth accounts), and when you can freely access the funds. For example, you cannot withdraw funds from pre-tax retirement accounts before age 59 ½ without penalty unless you meet specific criteria.
Here are some of the most important points for investing in Roth retirement accounts:
We like to think of all these accounts as being "tools in the toolbox" of what we're able to access to help our clients meet their long-term goals. An important part of the process for determining where to save and when include discussing the following with our clients:
This blog post is meant to provide general and educational information but only scratches the surface when it comes to pages of IRS code regulating these accounts and tax laws. Make sure you educate yourself on these rules in order to avoid penalties and other costly mistakes. A consultation with a qualified advisor could be a good first step in making sure you're not missing anything.
No important financial decision should be made in isolation, which is why we're big believers in a comprehensive approach to long-term decision making. The decisions you make around where to save for retirement can impact things like your marginal tax rate, the tax rate you pay on Social Security benefits, what you pay for health insurance and Medicare premiums, and the tax rate you pay on your investment portfolio income.