Chapter 6, Student Web Activity, Economics Today & Tomorrow, Glencoe, 2005

Chapter 6: Saving and Investing
"The Value of a Roth IRA"

Introduction
Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are long-term, tax-sheltered time deposits that provide a way for Americans to save tax dollars when they save for retirement. The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 added the Roth IRA, a "back-loaded" IRA, which has many features that investors want. Young people, who may be in a lower tax bracket now than when they're older, find the Roth especially attractive since the taxes they pay on contributions are lower than the taxes they would have paid on withdrawals later. Log onto the Fairmark Press Tax Guide For Investors Home Page to read about the Roth IRA and why this investment tool can be a valuable addition to a retirement portfolio.

Destination Title: Fairmark Press Tax Guide For Investors

Note: Clicking on the link above will launch a new browser window.
Need help using your browser for this activity? Click here for tips.

Directions
Start at the Fairmark Press Tax Guide for Investors Home Page.

Click on Roth IRAs, then on Roth IRA 101. Scroll through the information, clicking on the different pages and details.
Read through the site, taking notes as you go.

Using the information you gathered from this site, answer the following questions.

1. What benefit does the Roth IRA provide that is not available for any other form of retirement savings?

2. Who is not eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA?

3. What two requirements must be met in order for distributions from a Roth IRA to be completely tax-free?

4. What are the four different kinds of IRA providers? What are the different benefits that each one offers?

5. To understand the value of time and the impact of tax-free earnings upon your retirement savings, go to State Farm Insurance's "Traditional vs. Roth IRA Calculator." Type in your age, and complete the rest of the blanks as follows: $600.00 yearly contribution, contribute for 20 years, retire at age 60, 8% rate of return, and 25% tax rates. Click on the "Calculate" button. How does the total in the Roth IRA compare to that in the traditional IRA? What percent of the traditional IRA is taxable? What does this tell you about the influence that tax-free earnings have upon investment growth?

6. Recalculate the figures with the assumption that you do not start saving until the age of 30, (all other figures stay the same). What happens to your retirement savings? What impact does time have upon your investment? Create two bar graphs with the four figures from your calculations. The first bar graph will reflect if you start saving now, and the second bar graph will show what happens if you wait. Share your results with the class.