Nothing is certain in this world except for death and taxes. For
many dividend growth investors, this could be characterized as a feeling that they are being taxed to death. While I keep most of my assets in taxable brokerage accounts, I am always on the lookout to legally minimize my investment taxes as much as possible. In fact there is a way to invest
in dividend paying stocks without ever having to pay taxes on your investment.
The Roth IRA allows individuals who have earned income in a given year to contribute up to $5000 in after-tax dollars to their retirement account. There is a catch-up contribution of $1000 for individuals who are 50 years of age or older. While contributions to Roth IRA's are not deductible on your tax returns, earnings and principal distributions are tax free once certain age and time requirements are met. Roth IRA's allow for tax-free compounding of capital over time.
The earned income includes compensation from salary, wages, commissions, bonuses and alimony. Income from interest, dividends, annuities or pensions does not count as earned income in the eyes of the IRS.
The contribution limit for a Roth IRA is the same as the contribution limit for a regular IRA. However the amount that can be contributed to a Roth IRA is the amount remaining after subtracting any contribution made to a regular IRA. This means that if you contributed the maximum allowable amount to your regular IRA of $5000, you would not be able to contribute anything to a Roth IRA in that year.
There are no required minimum distribution rules for Roth IRAs.