[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Investment tip I have recently learned. Please correct me if I have anything wrong. I can't wait to see some tips from some of you. I love talking about investing and savings/life goals.


Roth IRA tip. A Roth IRA is only for those not making Dane money. A Roth IRA investment account can actually be fairly liquid. Much advice that I have currently been reading is talking about funneling as much money (max hopefully $5,500/year) to your Roth IRA account over dumping extra money into a savings account and earning nothing. This is of course after you have built an emergency fund of 3-6 months. The caveat of doing this is that as long as the Roth IRA has been open for 5+ years, you can withdrawn your contributions at any time, tax free and with no penalties. Meaning that if I have contributed $20k to my Roth over 7 years, and it's currently worth $25k, I am allowed to withdraw up to $20k without penalty. Is this ideal, no. But in a sense, it acts as a second emergency fund as well. And an emergency fund with actual chance to grow unlike a savings account. The money would take at most a few weeks to get to you from my understanding. Easily in the window to pay for a major emergency. Withdrawing money from a 401k should be a last resort for most as the penalties caused by this are not worth it unless it's your last option.

EDIT: Sorry, yes, looks like you have it right. Perhaps more reader-friendly version below:

Quick Summary:

If you are over 59½, you may withdraw as much as you want so long as your Roth IRA has been open for at least 5 years.

If you are under 59½, you may withdraw the exact amount of your Roth IRA contributions with no penalties.

There are special exemptions for first-time home purchase and college expenses.

http://www.rothira.com/roth-ira-withdrawal-rules