Personal Finance Resources

Have you every asked, Can you get a credit card secured by Roth IRA? How about this one: Can I withdraw funds from my IRA to pay off credit card debt? Well in this post, I am going to quickly cover these requests, and the open it up for any comments or questions you may have.

• Credit Card Secured Roth IRA
  • The short answer to this question is no, the government does not allow you, or any family, etc. to borrow against your IRA, or to benefit in any way from your IRA or Roth IRA account, other than the intended use of the account (ie when your retire, using it for retirement). This includes any type of borrowing, whether it be through a credit card, bank, or anything else. Now you can, of course, withdraw money from your IRA accounts at a (typically) 10% tax penalty to pay any debt you wish. In this scenario I would say you should take careful consideration, and use my credit card debt payoff calculator for assistance in calculating a time line for debt freedom, then weigh that option with the tax penalty that you face.
  • However, the government does allow you to roll over retirement accounts, and gives you 60 days to complete the transaction. So, if you need money right away, and you can repay it within 60 days, you could use the money from retirement to meet the immediate need, and make sure to repay it all when you complete the roll over to the account. This is tricky, so I highly recommend seeking professional assistance on this one.
• Withdrawing Funds from an IRA to Pay Off Credit Card Debt
  • As noted above, this is a viable option. But you must consider what you will be giving up in the long term. In my article, Invest in a Traditional IRA or a Roth IRA?, I compare the difference of the two just based on tax implications, and there is a significant difference in the amount of money accumulated at retirement age. So if you further compound that by withdrawing funds from your IRA to pay off debt, you may be setting yourself up for long term problems. There are other options; one option is to try to pay off debt using debt stacking, another is to seek online credit counseling. Debt stacking can help you accelerate your debt freedom date without contributing any additional monies to your credit cards. I do not recommend withdrawing from your IRA for any reason other than retirement, but if you have exhausted all other options, then consider it with reluctance.

In short, there really isn’t a viable option to borrow, or to secure a credit card with any kind of IRA. Even withdrawing the funds temporarily while rolling over to other fund doesn’t help most people very much. And taking the funds out to pay off debt isn’t a very good option either, because of the long term negative effects. If it all possible, utilize other methods, as mentioned above to get debt free. And lastly, make sure to sign up for my RSS feed, to get the latest and greatest on personal finance and how to reach your financial goals. It’s free, and well worth your time. If you have additional questions or comments, please post them below.

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To apply for a credit card, one needs to now about the way the credit card finances work. Preferably a low interest card should be applied for. This is because whether it is a bank of america card , or any other banks, every bank charges a certain amount for credit cashed. Before venturing into bank loan market on your card, it is advisable to consult a home mortgage consultant, who are used to such requests and their outcomes.

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The Roth IRA is relatively new to the investment world, having only been on option since January 1, 1998. It was created as a result to the Taxpayers Relief Act in 1997 to help Americans better save for their retirement. For some people (I generally think that in the long run, the Traditional IRA is the better bet for most people; see the Traditional IRA vs Roth IRA breakdown), the Roth IRA is a better choice for their investment needs than the older Traditional IRA for several reasons.

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Deciding whether to invest in a Traditional IRA or a Roth IRA can be a difficult decision, especially if you are unaware of the differences.  A Traditional IRA is an approach typically taken with an employer sponsored plan where before-tax dollars are contributed, thus allowing the employee/investor to invest more money over the life of the IRA.  However, a Traditional IRA is subject to income tax at the time of withdrawal (typically retirement).

On the other hand, a Roth IRA is funded with after tax dollars, and none of the principal or growth of the fund is subject to taxation at withdrawal.  All tax has been paid before money is ever invested, and the government allows for tax free growth.  Sounds like the better option, huh?  Lets look at example and find out.

This graph shows the result of 30 years of investing between a Traditional IRA and Roth IRA, assuming the investor gets an 8% return, contributes $200/month to the Traditional IRA, and only $160/month with a Roth IRA (due to an assumed 20% taxation before investing).

As you can see, the Traditional IRA accumulates approximately $60,000 more than the Roth IRA.  But wait Jeffry, the Roth IRA doesn’t get taxed during retirement and the Traditional IRA does, won’t I end up with more if I go with the Roth IRA?  Maybe, maybe not.

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