How and where to set up a Roth IRA?

Question

I am 23 years old and a recent college grad and wanted to get some info on setting up a Roth IRA. Should I do this at my bank (PNC Bank) or somewhere else. Are the rates and returns similar for anywhere I would go? What is your best advice on doing this? Good idea? Any other places to invest that would get a better return in say, 30 years or so than a Roth? Your input is appreciated.

Answer 1

Your best bet is to invest with an " investment company"...Fidelity, T.Rowe Price, Vanguard... their main reasons for being IN BUSINESS is investing and making money grow.
Take a few hours to look at their websites...find out what mutual funds belong in your IRA...( conservative at first?.. do you want to be aggressive for awhile?..do you want to be active or let it lay for 35 years? )
I use Fidelity and E-trade and invest ( IRA's ,401's, rollovers, for myself, wife, daughters, and a couple of friends) and what I have learned is: I should have known about this approach when I was younger!!!
The Roth is your a great choice for your first step... it is not an " investment" by itself, what you choose to put in the Roth is your real investment....
If you check into http://finishrich.com
...and click on the " latte calculator" you can get an idea of how much you can gain over different periods, saving different amounts and getting different returns...
Please...get familiar with what's available to you...and get a ROTH every year....find out how to up your returns with a little on-line moving...if it takes a couple of nights or even weekends, you will never regret being informed about " investing".....it's something that should be taught in every school at every level ...Teach people to take care of themselves and their futures...improve the lives of couples and families.... And we wouldn't have a zillion people trying to live off Soc. Sec.
Good luck
P.S. I hope you get to read this part, I'm adding it much later...BUT, I didn't want to forget to STRESS that a ROTH IRA is probably THE very best investment for an average American..".tax-free income" an unbelievable concept!!!
You'll get my drift after you pay taxes on EVERYTHING for the next 30 years.

Answer 2

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RE:
How and where to set up a Roth IRA?
I am 23 years old and a recent college grad and wanted to get some info on setting up a Roth IRA. Should I do this at my bank (PNC Bank) or somewhere else. Are the rates and returns similar for anywhere I would go? What is your best advice on doing this? Good idea? Any other places to invest that...

Answer 3

Scottrade Roth Ira Review

Answer 4

Banks charge you an annual maintenance fee for having a Roth IRA( $15-$30). They charge high commission for trading too, about $45 per trade.

Some brokerages have no maintenance fees like Fidelity or Scottrade. Commision is a lot lower too ( under $10.00 per trade) and have a bunch of options to choose from.

IRA (individual retirement account) only serves as a vehicle where you choose stocks, bonds, mutual funds, cds, ETFs to invest in within the account. If you have a Roth IRA, all your investments inside your retirement account grows tax free and tax free when you withdraw at retirement.

You can even pick an already set up diversified portfolio with the year you want to retire in for your Roth IRA account. They will pick the funds for you and manage your IRA account instead of you having to choose which stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs to put into your retirement account.

Answer 5

Pnc Roth Ira

Answer 6

A Roth isn't an investment in and of itself. It's simply a place for which you can place investments in order to receive tax-free growth. The best place to open a Roth is a discount broker, such as Scottrade, TDAmeritrade, Fidelity, Schwab, etc. The costs will be lower than they typically will be at a bank.

After your Roth is open, you need to decide which investments you'll place within it. With a 30 year timeframe, I'd suggest a diversified portfolio of no-load index funds or ETFs. Both are inexpensive and will probably do better for you over the long haul than actively managed mutual funds will.

Good luck with your Roth. Remember, when you're finally old enough to take distributions, all of the gains you will have accumulated over the years will be TAX-FREE. Can't beat that! :)

In response to Sane (below): Sure, everyone WANTS to beat the index, but the fact is that most mutual funds DON'T beat the index over time. In fact, most mutual funds don't even beat index funds over the long run. Hence my recommendation to put the odds in one's favor and go with index funds (or ETFs).

Also, you say that taxes will be paid when distributions are taken from an IRA. The original poster asked about a ROTH IRA. NO taxes are paid on qualified distributions from a Roth, as I've already stated.

Answer 7

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The deadline for making a 2012 contribution to a Roth IRA is actually 4/15/2013, not 12/31/2012. So, it doesn't make any difference for accounting purposes. But I'd do it now, just so you can 1) get 'er done, 2) have more time in which to accumulate tax-free interest, and 3) keep things straight in your own mind & avoid confusion. Be sure to see if you qualify for IRS Tax Form 8880!

Answer 8

There are many investment vehicles for a Roth. A Bank would be one. Their rate of return is probably going to be a lot lower than one you would get from a Mutual Fund. However, the banks rate of return is usually based on an interest rate and is guaranteed. The return on a Mutual Fund is not guaranteed.

Look at Fidelity, Vanguard or any number of other Mutual Funds. You'll need to do some research on the specific mutual fund you want to invest in if you want to go that route. But a good index fund will give you a better rate of return over the next 40 years than a Bank would.

This is just my opinion though. Others might think you are better off with a bank.

Answer 9

You are very smart for wanting to start to invest for your retirement now while your young. Your over 18 so you can do this no problem. If you are working, I would first check with them to see if they offer or have an IRA savings plan you can sign up for. If not, I recommend you research a personal brokerage account at places such as Fidelity or Scottrade ect. Look hard into their fee structure and how much their minimum contribution amounts are and hopefully you will find one that fits your needs. Many times contribution minimums are set much lower for an IRA account. You will want to open an IRA account not a regular investors account by the way. Whats difficult for most people is that once you place your money into the account, YOU have to invest it someplace. This is where many people get lost as the amount if information is overwhelming and confusing. No one will tell you what to invest in as if you lose money you can come back and sue them. So its kind of a catch 22. Many people invest in some sort of Mutual Fund. There are litterally thousands of them out there to choose from. But beware, some are front load, some are back load, some are free, some are redemption based. Those are costs to you that will affect your earnings. You will need to learn all about all of that stuff. You will have to do your homework. The rate of return depends on what you invest in, taxes, fees, costs etc all affect the final rate of return on investment. There is a lot to consider when making an investment decision, but once you get the hang of it, its pretty rewarding. There are ups and downs to any investing venture though so be prepared for the ride. Your thrilled when the market is up and your portfolio is showing lots of gains, and discouraged as heck when the market adjusts down, and you lose value. It takes dicipline to leave things go and remember your in this for the long run.

OK, here are a few bones to get you started. I like Scottrade, no or low fees, lowest minimum starting account balance. If you go with a mutual fund, diversify and place your monies into different types of funds. Stay away from any Indexed funds as you limit yourself to the ups and downs of the underlying market index. You want to BEAT the indexes. If you wanted to match the index just buy stocks outright. IRA's are not taxed as you earn NOW, you pay the taxes on your earnings at a lower rate after you retire and start pulling the money you've earned out of the account.

Answer 10

You have to look at what is offered in a Roth IRA. Keep looking and doing research. A bank or a brokerage firm would be a good way to go. You can find online brokerages that waive set up fees and have low maintenance fees. Make sure to read the fine print!!!