Author Topic: Roth or Traditional IRA when pensions are involved  (Read 1103 times)

Jtlee

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Roth or Traditional IRA when pensions are involved
« on: December 18, 2021, 09:36:25 AM »
Hello,
My husband is in law enforcement and after 13 years of working we are just looking at investing. Up to this point he has only been investing $300 a month in his pre-tax 457 but we are looking to maximize starting 2022. His employer also gives him the option to contribute to Roth 457, pre-tax 401k and Roth 401k. (They do not match) With our background below, does it matter which option(s) we choose?
Our Background:
He is the only one currently working (I'm a stay at home mom) and he brings home $125k gross. He can retire at 50, which will be in 14 years, and will receive a pension of 80% of his peak pay for as long as he lives. He does plan to promote within the next year, increasing his pay by $2000 per month and I just got my real estate license and will start working Spring 2022.
Given all this info, our thought is investing half pretax 457 half Roth 457 but we are complete newbies and are looking for a little bit of guidance. Any advice is appreciate thank you!
« Last Edit: December 19, 2021, 05:58:11 AM by Jtlee »

gocurrycracker

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Re: Roth or Traditional IRA when pensions are involved
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2021, 11:01:14 AM »
With a pension (and Social Security) retirement income will be in the same range as working income.

Which means marginal tax rate on IRA withdrawals will be in line with what you are paying today, assuming tax rates don't change.

This is a good case for paying taxes now / contributing to a Roth.