Envision a retirement where your income is entirely tax-free, free from the fear of IRS penalties or worries about tax underpayments. This isn’t a distant dream; it’s a tangible reality. All that stands between you and this tax-free haven is the simple act of opening and contributing to a Roth IRA account.
When it comes to securing your financial future, a Roth IRA can be a powerful tool. But with a plethora of options out there, how do you determine who has the best Roth IRA accounts? In this comprehensive guide, we dissect the top contenders, assessing their features, fees, and performance. Discover the institutions and investment platforms that stand out, empowering you to make informed decisions about your retirement savings.
What Are the Benefits of a Roth IRA?
Before we go into who has the best Roth IRA accounts, Here’s a closer look at the key benefits:
1. No Age Restrictions on Contributions: Unlike many retirement accounts, there are no age restrictions on contributing to a Roth IRA. Whether you’re a young earner with a paper route or a retiree engaged in part-time consulting, you have the freedom to contribute.
2. Earnings Grow Tax-Free: Roth IRA accounts facilitate the tax-free growth of both contributions and potential investment gains, providing a significant boost to your retirement savings.
3. Tax-Free Withdrawals: Once you reach the age of 59½ and have held your Roth IRA for at least five years, you can make tax-free and penalty-free withdrawals. Additionally, you can access your contributions at any time without incurring taxes or penalties.
4. No Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): Roth IRA investors enjoy the freedom of not being required to take annual distributions once they reach a certain age, unlike traditional IRAs or 401(k)s.
5. Tax-Free Inheritance: In the event of your passing, if you leave assets in your Roth IRA to your heirs, they can make tax-free withdrawals. Depending on their relationship to you and their circumstances, heirs may have up to 10 years to draw down the inherited Roth IRA.
Incorporating a Roth IRA into your retirement planning not only grants you tax advantages but also offers greater financial flexibility and opportunities for the next generation.
M1 Finance: Best For No-Fee Investing
When it comes to effortless and cost-effective investing, M1 Finance stands out as an excellent choice. Offering more flexibility than your typical robo-advisor, M1 simplifies the investment process while expanding your options.
M1’s approach revolves around “pies” and “slices.” You can opt for a ready-made pie, essentially a diversified portfolio, or craft your own by adding individual ETFs or stocks, deciding the percentage allocation for each slice. What sets M1 apart is its ability to facilitate fractional share purchases, a feature not commonly found with most brokers that typically require whole share purchases.
Once your investments are in place, you can establish automatic contributions or make manual deposits, all while M1’s intelligent automation manages your portfolio seamlessly in the background. The best part? M1 Finance offers its array of services without charging management or commission fees, ensuring that your retirement savings work hard for you.
Stash: Best for Socially Responsible Investing
Stash crafts a portfolio tailored to your risk tolerance and provides personalized recommendations based on your investment profile. While you remain in control of managing your account, Stash serves as an ideal starting point for a Roth IRA, allowing you to begin with just $1. You can regularly contribute to your Roth IRA, which is diversified across a wide range of stocks, bonds, and ETFs.
Stash offers two monthly plans, Stash Growth and Stash+, featuring expert financial advice and a debit card. What sets Stash apart is its “Missions and Causes” investment theme, enabling you to support socially and environmentally responsible companies, making it a top choice for socially responsible investing.
Empower: Best For Large Investments
Empower, formerly known as Personal Capital, sets its sights on high-earning individuals, offering a suite of services tailored to their specific needs. If you’re new to retirement planning and seek professional management of your Roth IRA through Empower, you’ll need a minimum investment of $100,000 to get started.
Fortunately, Empower extends its support through free tools like the Retirement Planner, even if you don’t meet the minimum investment threshold. This valuable resource allows you to gauge how significant expenses, such as purchasing a home, might influence your retirement objectives. It empowers you to calculate your monthly spending capacity during retirement and explore various scenarios, including the possibility of early retirement.
While Empower’s advisory fee may be higher than that of robo-advisors, it reflects the comprehensive level of service provided. If you prefer a holistic approach to investment management, Empower excels in this domain. They offer cutting-edge digital tools and expert advisors to guide you through all your investments, including your precious retirement savings.
Vanguard: Best for Investing in Mutual Funds
Vanguard claims the title of the world’s largest mutual fund provider and the second largest ETF provider, making it a go-to for mutual fund enthusiasts. Their funds are highly efficient and widely utilized in robo-advisor platforms.
Vanguard shines in Roth IRA investing due to its Vanguard Digital Advisor, offering access to ETF portfolios and ESG (environmental, social, governance) portfolios. Vanguard’s reputation in mutual funds and their diverse offerings make them a compelling choice for your Roth IRA. Note that while Vanguard excels in mutual funds, their trading fees for individual securities may not be as competitive as other brokerage platforms.
Acorns: Best For Passive Saving and Investing
Acorns is primarily recognized for its micro-savings approach, which makes it a fantastic choice for newcomers entering the world of Roth IRA accounts. With Acorns Later Roth IRA, you can kickstart your journey in just two minutes and immediately access recommendations for investment options.
Acorns operates through the ingenious Round Ups method. Whenever you make a purchase using your linked account, it rounds up the transaction to the nearest dollar and saves the spare change. Once this accumulates to at least $5.00 from these roundups, it swiftly moves into your Acorns investment account. If you opt for Acorns Checking, you’ll receive a debit card, enhancing your ability to accumulate Round Ups in real time while earning interest.
Powering the Acorns investment platform is a robo-advisor, handling all aspects of investment selection and portfolio management. Your role? Simply spend money, and watch your Roth IRA account grow steadily. In just a mere two minutes, you can establish your Roth IRA using Acorns Later, making it incredibly accessible for those new to the world of investing.
Betterment: Best For Hands-Off Investing
If you find investing a complex maze or have little interest in diving deep into financial markets, Betterment emerges as your ideal companion. It pioneered the robo-advisor space, and its user-friendly approach caters to those seeking a hassle-free investment experience.
Betterment extends its services to include traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, and SEP IRAs for individual investors. Here’s how it works: you fund your account, and Betterment takes over from there. The platform constructs your portfolio by strategically allocating it among various exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Betterment’s features go beyond mere portfolio creation; they handle the crucial aspects of portfolio management, including rebalancing and reinvesting dividends, all at a remarkably low cost.
Fidelity: Best For Self-Directed Investing
With Fidelity, you have the flexibility to manage your investments independently or opt for Fidelity Go®, where you outline your financial objectives and risk tolerance, and they make investment selections on your behalf. The best part? There are no minimum requirements to open either account, and Fidelity provides round-the-clock customer support to assist you.
Fidelity doesn’t limit your investment choices; you can trade stocks, bonds, options, and more. Fidelity is renowned for its vast selection of ETFs and well-known mutual funds, rivaling even Vanguard. While fees can be higher for non-Fidelity funds, they generously offer hundreds of commission-free funds. Keep in mind that automated investment management fees may apply depending on your account balance.
While some fees may be on the higher side, Fidelity excels as a top-tier trading platform, coupled with exceptional customer service to support your self-directed investment journey.
How Does a Roth IRA Work
A Roth IRA can be easily initiated through an online broker. These accounts typically offer a diverse range of investment options, encompassing stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, and more, although the specific investments available may vary by broker.
Contribution limits apply, with a maximum of $6,500 allowed in 2023 for those under 50, and an additional $1,000 for individuals aged 50 and above. One unique feature of Roth IRAs is the ability to withdraw your contributions at any time, free from taxes or penalties. However, early withdrawal of gains before reaching age 59½ may trigger taxes and a 10% penalty.
Notably, Roth IRAs stand apart from some other retirement accounts by not being subject to required minimum distribution (RMD) rules once you turn 73. This means all funds can remain in the account indefinitely, and you can continue contributing as long as you have earned income. This flexibility proves advantageous for those planning to defer Roth IRA distributions to a later stage in life.
Recommended Read: Understanding Earned Wage Access
How Much Can I Contribute To a Roth IRA?
Contributing to a Roth IRA is subject to specific rules and limits established by the IRS. Here’s a breakdown of these restrictions:
1. Annual Contribution Limits: The IRS defines annual contribution limits for Roth IRAs, which tend to be lower compared to 401(k) plans. For the 2023 tax year, individuals under 50 can contribute a maximum of $6,500 to their Roth IRA.
2. Catch-Up Contributions: If you’re aged 50 or older, you have the opportunity to make “catch-up” contributions, allowing an additional annual contribution of $1,000. This raises the maximum allowable contribution to $7,500 in 2023.
3. Annual Income Limits: Contribution limits start to phase out based on your modified adjusted gross income (AGI) for the tax year 2023. The phase-out thresholds are as follows:
- Single or head of household filers: Contribution limits start to decrease once your AGI exceeds $138,000.
- Married filing jointly: The phase-out begins when your AGI surpasses $218,000.
- Married filing separately: Contribution limits start decreasing when your AGI reaches $1.
4. Ineligibility for High Incomes: For the tax year 2023, individuals are ineligible to contribute to a Roth IRA if their modified AGI exceeds specific thresholds:
- Single or head of household filers: Ineligibility starts at a modified AGI of $153,001 or higher.
- Married filing jointly: Ineligibility begins when the modified AGI is $228,001 or more.
- Married filing separately: Those who file separately and have a modified AGI of $10,000 or greater cannot contribute to a Roth IRA.
Understanding these contribution limits and income thresholds is crucial when planning your retirement savings strategy with a Roth IRA.
FAQs About Best Roth IRAs Accounts
Here are some answers and insights to help you make informed decisions, especially if you’re new to retirement investing:
How much money do you need to start a Roth IRA?
There’s no mandatory minimum contribution for a Roth IRA, making it accessible to everyone. However, certain brokers may have deposit or account balance requirements for specific investments.
- Are Roth IRAs a good idea?
Contributing to a Roth IRA can be a wise move based on your individual circumstances. Roth IRAs provide tax diversification alongside traditional IRAs and 401(k)s. Contributions grow tax-free, and withdrawals in retirement are tax-free as well, making them a valuable tool in your investment portfolio.
Is a Roth IRA suitable for beginners?
Roth IRAs can be an excellent choice for beginners due to their tax advantages and diverse investment options. Consider maximizing contributions to an employer-sponsored 401(k) with a company match first, but overall, Roth IRAs provide a tax-advantaged platform for your retirement savings.
- What are the best Roth IRA accounts for beginners?
The best Roth IRA account for you depends on your unique needs. Consider factors like desired features, available investment choices, account fees, and more as you evaluate providers.
- How should a beginner invest in a Roth IRA?
Start by comparing Roth IRA providers, each offering distinct features catering to different investor preferences. Some providers support self-directed investing, while others offer automated solutions for a more hands-off approach.
- Which IRA is best for young adults?
Choosing between a traditional or Roth IRA as a young adult involves tax considerations. Roth IRAs often benefit those expecting to be in a higher tax bracket during retirement. If you anticipate lower retirement tax rates, a traditional IRA may be more suitable.
As you explore who has the best Roth IRA accounts, keep these insights in mind to align your retirement savings strategy with your financial objectives.