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How to Open an IRA
Whether you are just starting out or midway into your career, understanding how to open the best IRA account and fund it will propel you onto the path to true financial security. Anyone with earned income who meets the eligibility requirements can open an individual retirement account (IRA). Money within the IRA account grows tax-free.
We’ll take you step by step through the process of how to open a Roth IRA and a traditional IRA. You’ll discover the IRA requirements, how much it costs to open an IRA, and how long it takes. Finally, you’ll learn where to open an IRA and whether to choose a Roth or traditional IRA account.
Investopedia / Jake Shi
Steps Required to Open an IRA
The first step in setting up an IRA is to decide whether you prefer a self-directed IRA or an IRA that is managed through a robo-advisor. Then, you’ll explore which financial firm is best for you. Finally, you’ll determine whether it’s better to open a Roth or traditional IRA account.
Step 1: Choose between an online broker and a robo-advisor. Choosing an online broker or a robo-advisor depends upon whether you want to select your own investments or desire a digital investment platform that considers your preferences and makes the final investment decision for you.
With an online broker like Fidelity, Charles Schwab, or Merrill Edge, you can pick and choose from a menu of investment assets. Although there will be customer service representatives available to help with setup and questions, if you open an IRA at an online broker, you’ll be responsible for selecting the investments for your Roth, traditional, or rollover IRA. That will involve picking stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or exchange-traded funds (ETFs). If you are confident in your ability to pick your own investments, or if you are committed to learning the investing basics, then consider opening your IRA with an online broker.
If you aren’t investment-savvy or interested in studying investing strategies, then you might choose an IRA at a robo-advisor platform. Robo-advisors are algorithm-driven digital investment advisors that select and manage your investments for you based on your financial goals, time frame, and risk tolerance. You can choose to open a robo-advisor IRA at a stand-alone platform like Wealthfront or Betterment or select a robo-managed by a financial firm like Schwab Intelligent Portfolios or Fidelity Go.
Step 2: Decide where to open an IRA. Once you’ve decided whether to do it yourself or go with a managed robo-advisory IRA, you’ll need to select which financial firm is the best fit for you. If you like the idea of having all of your finances under one roof, then you might choose an investment advisor that offers both self-directed investing and robo-advisory options.
When deciding where to open an IRA, investigate annual IRA management fees, investment minimums, available investments, customer service options, and customer reviews. After making your selection, you’ll gather the information needed to open the account.
Best IRA Accounts for Hands-On Investors
| Company | Fees | Account Minimum | IRA Account Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fidelity | $0 for stock/ETF trades, $0 plus $0.65/contract for options trade | $0 | -Traditional IRA -Roth IRA -Rollover IRA -Inherited IRA -Inherited Roth IRA -Simplified employee pension (SEP) IRA -Self-employed 401(k) -SIMPLE IRA -401(k) plan for small businesses -Roth IRA for kids |
| Charles Schwab | Free stock and ETF trading, $0.65 per options contract | $0 | -Traditional IRA -Roth IRA -Rollover IRA -Inherited IRA -Custodial IRA -SEP IRA -Self-employed 401(k) -SIMPLE IRA -401(k) plan for small businesses -Personal defined benefit plan -Company retirement account (CRA) |
| Merrill Edge | $0 per stock trade; options trades $0 per leg plus $0.65 per contract | $0 | -Traditional IRA -Roth IRA -Rollover IRA -Inherited IRA -SEP IRA -SIMPLE IRA -Self-employed 401(k) |
Best IRA Accounts for Hands-Off Investors
| Company | Fees | Account Minimum | IRA Account Types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wealthfront | 0.25% for most accounts, no trading commission or fees for withdrawals, minimums, or transfers | $500 | -Traditional IRA -Roth IRA -Rollover IRA -Simplified employee pension (SEP) IRA |
| M1 Finance | $3 monthly platform fee for clients with balances of less than $10,000 in their total aggregated accounts or clients with an M1 personal loan | $100 ($500 minimum for retirement accounts) | -Traditional IRA -Roth IRA -Rollover IRA -SEP IRA |
| Betterment | 0.25% or $4 per month based on balance or recurring deposit | $0, $10 to get started | -Traditional IRA -Roth IRA -Inherited IRA -SEP IRA |
Step 3: Choose an IRA account type to invest in. Next, choose the type of IRA that best fits your tax and financial situation. Understand that Roth and traditional IRAs have eligibility limits, depending on your income and whether you have a workplace retirement account. Both the Roth and traditional IRA have their own characteristics. We’ll cover two individual IRAs and two workplace IRAs for self-employed individuals.
Types of IRA Accounts
- Traditional IRA: Contribute pre-tax dollars up to the contribution limit. The money is not taxed until it is withdrawn in retirement. You can withdraw the traditional IRA contributions penalty-free after age 59½ or if you meet special circumstances before that age. You must begin RMD (required minimum distribution) withdrawals at age 73. A traditional IRA might be preferable if you expect to be in a lower tax bracket in retirement.
- Roth IRA: Contribute after-tax dollars up to the contribution limit. In general, Roth contributions can’t be withdrawn for five years. You can withdraw your initial contributions at any time and for any reason without taxes or penalties. All withdrawals are also tax- and penalty-free after age 59½. Earlier Roth withdrawals are subject to a variety of conditions. Unlike traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs aren’t subject to RMD withdrawals.
- SEP IRA: A SEP (simplified employee pension) IRA is a way for employers to fund a retirement account for themselves and their employees. A SEP IRA is similar to a traditional IRA, although the contribution limits are higher. Employers can contribute the lesser of up to 25% of the employee’s salary or $69,000 per year. Once contributions are made, the SEP IRA characteristics are the same as those of a traditional IRA.
- Simple IRA: Businesses with 100 or fewer employees are eligible to set up a Simple IRA. Once created, employers are required to contribute to it every year. Employer contributions are 2% or 3% (for matching contributions), and employees can elect to contribute or not. Eligible employees must have earned $5,000 during the last two years and expect to earn $5,000 this year. The maximum contribution amount in 2024 is $16,000 for those under age 50 and $19,500 for those over age 50.
Step 4: Open an account. Opening an IRA account involves proving that you are who you say you are by providing personal documentation to support your identity. You’ll need personal and financial information to open an account. Every website has an online option to “open an account” which you can select. Then you’ll be asked a series of demographic and financial questions. Below, we discuss the documents that you’ll need to open the IRA account online or in person.
Step 5: Fund your account. To fund the account, you’ll link an existing financial account with the newly opened IRA. On your bank’s website, navigate to the external transfer vertical. Input the requested information about the newly opened IRA.
Rolling Over an Existing IRA
After leaving an employer, many individuals prefer to roll retirement contributions from a 401(k) or 403(b) plan into an IRA. Or you might want to roll over an IRA from one custodian to another. As long as you perform a trustee-to-trustee rollover, you won’t owe any taxes. Each financial institution has its own process for completing an IRA rollover, so it’s best to call customer service at your existing retirement plan and request rollover instructions.
If you withdraw the funds via check or transfer into an existing bank account, you have 60 days to reinvest the money into the IRA, without paying taxes. If you don’t contribute the funds to the IRA within 60 days, you might owe taxes and/or penalties.
Funding From a Bank or Brokerage
When funding your IRA with money from an existing bank or brokerage account, visit the transfer section of your financial institution’s website. Select the “external transfer” option and provide information about the IRA account when requested. You’ll have the option to make a one-time transfer to fund the IRA account or to set up regular auto-transfers from the funding account into the IRA.
How Much Can I Contribute to an IRA?
Individuals are limited in the amount they can contribute to an IRA, and certain income levels determine who can open an IRA.
Here are the IRA contribution limits for 2024:
| Age | IRA Contribution Limit |
|---|---|
| Under 50 | $7,000 |
| Over 50 | $8,000 |
The SECURE ACT (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act) of 2019 was signed into law on December 20, 2019. The legislation removed the former rule that you had to be under the age of 70½ in order to contribute to a traditional IRA. Under the SECURE Act, anyone, regardless of age, can contribute to a traditional IRA as long as they have earned income.
What You Need to Open an IRA Account
The information you need to open an IRA account is similar to opening a taxable brokerage account. Although the process is similar across platforms, each IRA custodian may have a distinct process for opening an IRA online.
Personal Information
Detailed personal information is required to open an IRA online or in person, to prove that you are who you claim to be. Before you open the IRA, compile all of the required documentation. You’ll need to consider how you’ll fund the IRA as well as the beneficiary of the account.
- Full name, address, and telephone number
- Social Security number
- Driver’s license number
- Date of birth
- Beneficiary information
- Employer information
- Investment objectives and risk tolerance
Banking Information
After opening the IRA, provide your banking information to the IRA custodian. This will facilitate cash transfers from your financial institution into the IRA account. You’ll also need to set up external or internal transfers at your bank to fund the IRA account. It’s easy to access your banking information from a blank check and your online bank statement. After opening the IRA account, you may want to set up an automatic transfer from your bank into the IRA account.
To fund the account, you’ll need the following banking information:
- Name and address of bank
- Name of account holder(s)
- Type of account (checking or savings)
- Account number
- Bank routing number
Factors to Consider When Opening an IRA Account
- How much to invest: In general, it’s best to contribute the maximum amount allowable by law annually. Since the future is uncertain, the more money you invest and the earlier you begin, the more likely it is that you’ll meet your retirement goals.
- How much an IRA earns: This will depend upon the types of investments that you select. In general, you can expect a well-diversified IRA invested in a mix of stock and bond ETFs to earn between 6% and 8% per year on average, depending upon your asset allocation.
- Age: The younger you begin contributing to your IRA, the less money you’ll need in total. That’s because of the impact of compounding returns.
- Account fees: Review the IRA management fees as well as the expense ratios for the ETFs or mutual funds. Lower fees enable more of your money to grow and compound in the investment markets.
- Investment options: Review the available investments before opening an IRA and make sure that your preferred investments are available in the IRA.
- Customer service: IRA account holders should have access to phone customer service. Visit the “contact us” page to familiarize yourself with methods and hours for support.
Pros and Cons of an IRA
Consider if an IRA is right for you by reviewing the pros and cons.
Advantages of IRAs
- Traditional IRA contributions can reduce current tax bills and defer taxes until retirement.
- Roth IRA proceeds can be withdrawn in retirement at the age of 59½ and, under certain qualifying circumstances, tax-free if under 59½.
- Money held within an IRA compounds tax-free, enabling faster asset growth than investments held within a taxable brokerage account.
Disadvantages of IRAs
- Roth IRAs do not reduce current income taxes.
- Contributions are contingent upon your income level.
- In retirement, with a large traditional IRA, required minimum distributions (RMD) might boost your tax liability and your Medicare premiums.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Is an IRA?
An individual retirement account, or IRA, allows individuals with earned income to save and invest for retirement. While in the IRA account, your money is invested for retirement and grows tax-free or tax-deferred. There are three types of IRAs: Traditional, Roth, and rollover.
- Traditional IRA: Invest with pre-tax dollars, and the money grows tax-free. In retirement, you’ll pay taxes on the money you withdraw from the account.
- Roth IRA: Pay taxes on the money first, and then deposit your Roth IRA contribution. Your money will grow tax-free, and you won’t pay taxes upon withdrawal.
- Rollover IRA: Transfer money from a previous employer’s qualified retirement plan, such as a 401(k) or 403(b), into an IRA. Once the new rollover IRA is created, the money grows tax-free or tax-deferred, depending upon whether the original retirement account was a Roth (post-tax contributions) or traditional (pre-tax contributions) workplace retirement account.
How Does an IRA Work?
The three types of IRAs, traditional, Roth, and rollover, all work similarly. If you have employment income, you transfer a portion of that income, up to the IRA contribution limit, into your account. Once the money is in the account, you determine how to invest it. You can choose individual stocks, bonds, and/or funds. The money will grow tax-free or tax-deferred until you withdraw it, at which time you might owe income taxes. Traditional IRAs are invested with pre-tax dollars, and thus you’ll owe taxes on the withdrawal. Roth IRAs are invested with after-tax dollars and can be withdrawn tax-free.
You’re eligible to withdraw your funds penalty-free at age 59½ or later. In most cases, if you withdraw the money before that age, you’ll be liable for a 10% penalty plus income taxes, although there are a few exceptions to this rule. You can withdraw your principal Roth IRA contribution at any time after a five-year holding period.
How Much Money Do You Need to Open an IRA?
Here are the rules for how much you need to open an IRA:
- The amount of money you need to open an IRA can’t exceed your earnings for that year.
- How much to open an IRA can’t exceed the IRS-imposed legal limits of $7,000 if you’re under age 50 or $8,000 if you’re age 50 or older.
- You might not be eligible to contribute to an IRA if your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds certain limits.
- Some investment platforms have required minimums to open an IRA.
If you have earned income, then the minimum amount you need is determined by where you open your account. You can’t exceed the maximum amount set by the IRS, or determined by your earned income.
What Type of IRA Is Best to Start?
The best IRA to open requires some projections. If you believe that your future tax rate in retirement will be lower than your current tax rate, then you might prefer a traditional IRA. With a traditional IRA, you don’t pay income tax on the money you contribute to the IRA until it is withdrawn in retirement. At age 73, you’re required to begin the required minimum distributions (RMD) from the IRA.
The Roth IRA decision is a bit more complicated. If you are in a low-ish tax bracket now and prefer to pay income taxes now, rather than in retirement, then a Roth IRA might be the best. With the Roth, you pay tax only once, when the money is earned and before investing in the account. Then your Roth IRA contribution grows tax-free and can be withdrawn tax-free as well. Unlike the traditional IRA, you are not required to withdraw money from the Roth in retirement.
How Much Monthly Income Should Go to an IRA?
Ideally, if you’re seeking a healthy sum in retirement, you’ll invest the maximum amount in the IRA annually. If you’re under the age of 50, that’s $583.33 per month, which equates to $7,000 per year. Those over the age of 50 can invest $666.67 per month or $8,000 per year.
If you can’t swing the maximum, then invest as much as you can afford. You can always increase your IRA contributions later.
What Are the Risks Associated With IRAs?
The risks of IRAs include:
- With a traditional IRA, if you need to withdraw your money before age 59½, then you’ll pay a 10% early withdrawal penalty on the amount withdrawn, as well as income tax. There are a few situations where the penalty is waived, such as using the funds to pay your medical insurance premium after a job loss. The Roth IRA also has additional caveats for early withdrawals.
- Ultimately, unless you are using a robo-advisor, you have the sole responsibility of choosing investments and managing them. You might not have the skill or expertise to choose the best investments for you.
- Some IRA custodians prey on unsuspecting investors by charging excessive fees and selling you inappropriate and possibly fraudulent investments.
- Your income might surpass the legal contribution limit, leaving you ineligible to contribute.
- If you invest in a traditional IRA, there is a risk that in retirement, you’re in a higher tax bracket than when you were working.
- In retirement, traditional IRA holders are required to take RMDs from the account, which will increase income taxes.
Which are the Best Types of IRA Investments?
The concept of asset allocation can inform the best types of investments for traditional and Roth IRAs. Taxable bonds, bond ETFs, REITs, and tax-inefficient investments with relatively high current tax obligations might be best for a traditional IRA. Consider fast-growing stocks and growth stock funds for your Roth account, as you’ll eliminate a big capital gains tax bill when you sell the equities.
How Many IRA Accounts Can I Have?
There’s no limit on the number of IRA accounts you may have. However, the total of all annual IRA contributions cannot exceed the entire $7,000 maximum contribution level (or $8,000 for those over age 50). Just because you can have multiple IRA accounts doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea to have more than two—a traditional and a Roth IRA. The more investment accounts you have, the more difficult it is to manage and keep track of your financial assets.
Where Is the Best Place to Open An IRA?
The best place to open an IRA is a personal decision. Most major brokerage accounts offer a full range of investments, strong customer service, and low or no annual management fees. Robinhood offers a match for IRA contributions, which might be enticing for some.
If you have an existing banking or brokerage account, you might prefer to open an IRA at the same financial firm and maintain all accounts under one roof. If you’re considering a robo-advisor, investigate fees, investment management, and customer service options to select the best place to open an IRA, for you.