Forex Articles

If you're putting off doing your taxes because you're afraid you might be getting back less than you expect or, worse yet, owe more than you paid, you should know that there's one thing you can do right up to the last minute on April 15 to help substantially reduce last year's taxes: contribute to an IRA, or investment retirement account. Years from now, you'll thank your younger self for making a wise move.

Almost anyone who has income and is under age 70½ by the end of the year is eligible to invest in a traditional IRA. The tax deductions can be limited, however, for people who are already getting a tax break through an employer's retirement plan.

(For other last-minute tax-reducing moves, see Last-Minute Tax Deduction Moves – Before April 15.)

​Increasingly, many of us don't have a company retirement plan, or the kind of full-time salaried job that makes our incomes predictable, and our taxes foolproof, from year to year. About 53 million Americans, or a third of all workers, now identify themselves as freelancers, according to a study by the Freelancers Union. They are independent contractors, or they moonlight after their regular jobs, or jump from one project to the next in a series short-term contracts. Part or all of their income may be paid with no taxes withheld, making it easy for them to land in the soup at tax time. That's where a traditional IRA can help.

There are two major types of IRA, the traditional and the Roth IRA (more on both later), but if you need to bail out of a problem at tax time, only the traditional IRA can help.

That's because the amount you invest in a traditional IRA is subtracted from your taxable income for that year. As far as the IRS is concerned, your income for the year shrank by that amount. Of course, it disappeared from your pocket, too, but at least you'll get your money back, plus earnings, after you retire. And the IRS will get its share, when you withdraw the money.

Here's an example. Say you're a single person who earned $50,000 in taxable income last year. The 2014 tax table says you owe $8,363. But if you contributed $5,000 to an IRA, your taxable earnings drop to $45,000. You now owe $7,113, reducing your tax bill by $1,250.

Your IRA may begin as an emergency fix for an immediate problem. But, hopefully, you will continue to contribute to it from year to year, making your tax bill smaller and your retirement account bigger every year of your working life.

If you're not in a crunch over this year's tax bill, you might consider a Roth IRA instead. Here's the difference:

• Your contribution to a traditional IRA is in pre-tax dollars. As noted, it reduces your taxable income for the year. After retirement, you may owe taxes on all of the money that you withdraw, both the original dollars paid in and the investment income it earned.

• A Roth IRA requires payment in post-tax dollars. You pay taxes on the income before you make a deposit, and get no immediate tax benefit. But after you retire, your entire nest egg is tax-free, including the investment income. There are income limits to Roth IRA eligibility. This year's limits are $129,000 for singles and $191,000 for couples.

Both types of IRA are intended as long-term retirement savings funds, so there is a tax penalty, usually 10%, for withdrawing the money before you reach the age of 59½.

So, whether you are considering this at your leisure or grabbing a last chance tax break, keep in mind that the real purpose of your IRA is preparing for a financially comfortable retirement.

You can set up an IRA at almost any bank, brokerage, mutual fund company or other financial institution. Some tax preparers may even offer one, but the easiest option is probably not the best one. All it takes is your signature on the paperwork and a check for your first contribution. (If you want the tax benefit for your 2014 tax return, be sure to designate the contribution is for 2014, not 2015.) Now, of course, you can take care of most of the details, including future contributions and changes, online.

Note to hardcore procrastinators: If you don't already have an online relationship with your IRA provider, it can take several days to finalize the electronic money-transfer process.

There is a limit to how much you can contribute to a traditional IRA annually. For 2014, the limit is $5,500 for people under age 50, and $6,500 for those 50 and over, or 100% of employment income, whichever is less. (The limits on Roth IRA contributions can be complicated. Here is the IRS worksheet.)

Married people filing jointly can double those numbers. Even if one spouse is not employed or has very little income, a measure called the Kay Bailey Hutchison Spousal IRA allows a married couple to jointly contribute $11,000 in 2014. (It's $12,000 if one of the pair is at least age 50, and $13,000 if both are 50 or older.)

There are two big considerations in choosing an IRA:

• The fees and costs attached to the IRA. As with any investment, there are trading fees, and they can vary widely. You need to be wary of gratuitous charges that eat away at your money, like maintenance fees or custodial fees. On the other hand, some companies offer special deals for new accounts. Check whether a company you're considering is offering an incentive for your business. This chart from The Motley Fool compares the costs of IRAs offered at the major online brokerages

• The options they offer for your investment. As with any investment vehicle, the choices are endless. You need to find the kind of investment that you're comfortable making.

Your IRA money can be invested in mutual funds, bonds or individual stocks. (See Qualifying Assets For Your IRA.) You can choose risky growth funds, or slow-growing but safe money market funds. Best of all, you can spread your money around, mixing conservative and risky choices. You'll get the usual quarterly statements, though you can check the progress of your investments online anytime.

You can change your mind about how your money is invested any time, and you probably should periodically. Investment advisers urge people to take some risks when they're young, and get more cautious as they get closer to retirement.

Right about now, you may be thinking that you don't have enough time to do this properly. Think of it this way: You could solve an immediate tax problem by opening an IRA by April 15. That's a first step that could change your life all the way down the road. Once tax time 2014 is over, you can consider your many options. You can change your investment choices or even switch providers altogether, if you find a better deal. Best of all, you can set up automated payments to add to your new IRA regularly so that you get the tax break every year, and the long-term financial benefits in the future.

The IRS supplies a literally stupefying amount of information about IRAs and their tax implications in various publications. If you're working on your taxes right now, you probably just need the summary of this year's rule changes.