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The Roth IRA was among the provisions of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, and it has come to be highly touted in the financial press. Essentially, contributions to a Roth retirement account are taxed as income, but future withdrawals will not be. Roth's various restrictions and tax advantages are quite complicated, and many investors and financial advisors alike are uncertain whether this new option will be of individual benefit. This guide will likely be the first that provides a comprehensive look at the Roth IRA. When Daryanani, a former AT&T mathematician, was forced to reevaluate his investment and retirement portfolio, he became intrigued by the Roth IRA after his broker's analysis included mention of the plan. But Daryanani found himself having to do a lot of his own research. The result is this "tutorial," which targets both financial advisors and individual investors. Included will be a brief interview with Senator William Roth and provisions of the Technical Corrections Act of 1998 (which was signed into law in July by President Clinton), designed to fine-tune current rules. David Rouse |
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Roth to Riches is a must read for anyone who has ever considered or currently owns an IRA. Written in plain, understandable English, Mr. Bledsoe demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages of both the ordinary and the Roth IRA's. Mr. Bledsoe displays a unique ability to explain technical tax and financial planning concepts with candor and clarity. This book is interesting, informative and easy to understand. A bargain at this price. |
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IRA's, 401(k)s & Other Retirement Plans, by financial specialists Twila Slesnick and John C. Suttle, is a solid self-help legal look at a critical back-end issue that most of us blissfully ignore until we absolutely must confront it. The authors themselves admit it is not a compelling page-turner, but rather a comprehensive resource that at some point should prove indispensable to everyone with a retirement plan. They describe the various plans available--including Roth IRAs, to which an entire chapter is devoted--focusing on distribution rules, associated taxes, and potential penalties. They offer details on early distributions used to pay higher-education expenses or health-insurance premiums (which are not subject to taxes, under certain explicit conditions), distributions you must take during your lifetime (when they begin, how they're computed, what happens if your beneficiary changes), and distributions made after an account holder dies (largely concentrating on administrative procedures that could help you avoid unnecessary financial loss). Helpful appendices include relevant IRS forms, notices, and schedules as well as life-expectancy tables. --Howard Rothman |