Craig Wear, CFP, covers three Roth IRA rules: don't exceed the $7,000 annual limit or face a 6% penalty on excess contributions; contributions can be withdrawn anytime, but earnings need age 59½ and a five-year holding period; and actually invest the money in index funds like VOO or VTI instead of leaving it in cash.
$7,000
6% per year
Before tax day
59½ years old
VOO and VTI
Don't open a Roth IRA until you know these three things. Number one over contributing. If you go past the $7,000 annual limit, you're going to owe a 6% penalty each year it sits there, so withdraw the excess before tax day to avoid it. Number two Withdrawing early. You can pull out contributions anytime, but not your earnings. You've got to be at least 59 and a half years or older. And then there's a five year rule that you need to take into consideration as well. Number three not investing the money. Open a Roth ira. Really not enough. You need to make sure that you invest inside of it instead of just sitting there. In a cash account, you can think about index funds or exchange traded funds like VOO or VTI to grow your money.
