
Roth IRA vs. traditional IRA: Which is better for you?
Both versions offer tax breaks. Your choice comes down to paying now, or paying later.
Successful saving is all about the habit. Automate your savings through direct deposit and payroll deduction so you are paying yourself first.
— Greg McBride, CFA
Greg McBride, CFA, is the Chief Financial Analyst for Bankrate.com, leading a team responsible for researching financial products, providing analysis, and advice on personal finance to a vast consumer audience. With more than a quarter century of experience in personal finance, he can provide both in-depth commentary and practical advice to consumers. Through Bankrate.com's Money Makeover series, he has helped consumers plan for retirement, manage debt and develop appropriate investment allocations.
Greg has appeared on hundreds of national cable and network broadcasts, and been a frequent guest on CNBC and Fox Business Network. He is routinely quoted by major media outlets such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today, has served as a Wall Street Journal Expert Panelist, and is a regular guest on Yahoo Finance, Cheddar and financial talk shows throughout the United States. He is also an accomplished public speaker, having appeared before audiences at the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Trade Commission, American Association of Individual Investors, National Foundation for Credit Counseling, and at the China Times Golden Cicada Awards in Beijing.
Greg has served on boards in the credit counseling industry for more than a decade and is currently on the board of Money Management International of Sugar Land, TX, the nation’s largest nonprofit credit counseling agency accredited by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. Greg is Chairman of both the Compensation Committee and the Investment Committee for MMI.
Greg has also served on the funding board of the Consumer Financial Education Fund through the Rose Foundation of Oakland, CA. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
There are high income households that blow through it all and can’t save a dime, and there are households with very modest incomes that are prodigious savers. The common traits I’ve seen among good savers from all walks of life is the desire and discipline to save, making it a priority, a willingness to sacrifice and delay gratification, and keeping expenses in check. If you can save when you’re young or when you have a modest income, the habit stays with you if you move up the income scale. However, I have yet to meet a spendthrift that was able to flip a switch once reaching a certain age or income level and transform into a strong saver. If you’re unable to save, what are the barriers keeping you from doing so and what can you do to find a way around them?
Successful saving is all about the habit. Automate your savings through direct deposit and payroll deduction so you are paying yourself first.
— Greg McBride, CFA
Both versions offer tax breaks. Your choice comes down to paying now, or paying later.
An IRA is a type of investment account with tax benefits that can help you save for retirement.
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