The Hidden Advantage of Roth IRAs Retirees Don't Appreciate Until It's Too Late

There’s a reason Roth IRAs tend to get a lot of attention. They offer tax-free gains on investments and tax-free withdrawals in retirement. They also don’t force savers to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) like traditional retirement accounts do, which gives you a lot more control over your money.

But while these are certainly some nice Roth IRA perks, there’s a hidden benefit you shouldn’t overlook. And that benefit could be a huge money-saver for you.

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A Roth IRA could help you avoid surprise costs in retirement

It’s not just that Roth IRAs give you tax-free withdrawals and complete control over when you take distributions. They can also save you money in surprising ways.

Because Roth IRA withdrawals don’t count as taxable income, they don’t count in the formula used to determine whether Social Security benefits are taxable. And if you didn’t realize that Social Security could be a taxable retirement source, well, hey, you learned something.

Roth IRAs could also help you keep your Medicare costs down. Medicare charges a standard monthly premium for Part B, which covers outpatient care. But higher earners commonly have surcharges tacked onto that standard premium known as income-related monthly adjustment amounts (IRMAAs).

IRMAAs could, depending on your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI), add hundreds of dollars a month to the cost of Medicare Part B – no joke. But since Roth IRA withdrawals don’t count toward your MAGI, you can conceivably take a six-figure withdrawal each year and not have it push you into IRMAA territory.

For context, this year, IRMAAs apply to single tax filers with a MAGI of over $109,000. A traditional IRA withdrawal of $10,000 a month, or $120,000 a year, automatically leaves you on the hook for IRMAAs. A $120,000 annual Roth IRA withdrawal does not.

Don’t miss out on a big opportunity

All told, Roth IRAs don’t just give you access to tax-free income. They can prevent you from being hit with other taxes and keep your Medicare premium costs lower. They also give you the flexibility to take withdrawals on your own timeline.

And hey, if you don’t want to touch your Roth IRA in retirement, that’s OK, too. You may have other income streams that make it so you don’t need that money. If so, you can always pass it down as an inheritance. Not having to take RMDs makes that easy.

For all of these reasons, it pays to save for retirement in a Roth IRA. And if you earn too much money to fund a Roth IRA directly, know that you can always contribute to a traditional IRA and do Roth conversions at a time when it makes sense.