<prompt> Human: Howdy rpersonalfinance. Been lurking and absorbing info ever since this place became a default sub, and now I have a question I hope yall could weigh in on.I did a preliminary calculation on my income tax return for 2015, and it seems that my federal refund will be negligible less than 20, but I owe Maryland 200 in taxes. Fair enough; Im glad to be breaking even for the most part and having more money in each paycheck throughout the year, rather than a windfall at tax season.I do understand that contributing to a Traditional IRA can increase my tax refund by deducting from my taxable income or rather, by reducing my tax liability, but that the distribution would be taxed in the future.I was discussing my income tax refund situation with my mother, and she, rather charitably, offered to give me cash to open an IRA so that I can get a larger refund, while starting to build up my retirement savings. I was wondering would it make sense to open a Traditional IRA for the purpose of increasing my tax return now, or should I just place it into a Roth IRA, and maintain my current tax liability?I currently net about 2,000 a month, with 1,000 of that having to go to rent damn you DC area rent!, so every cent in my bank account counts, but Im worried about the short-term trade-off of some cash now at the expense of having to pay taxes later. My mother has offered to help me further contribute to my IRA for the next few years while I try to progress through my career, and although I feel its a little shameful, Im okay with that arrangement.Would it also make sense for me to convert the account to a Roth IRA later down the road, once I am more capable of taking the tax hit?Thoughts?  <response>: A net of 2kmonth implies about a 40Kyear income give or take. Income tax wise, you will have a fairly low burden. I would go with the Roth, if only to start the clock on the 5 year period you need it to vest to qualify for any withdrawal to avoid a tax on earnings. You can cash out IRAs for reasons other than retirement example: purchase of first home so there may come a day 5 years in the future where you use this account as something other than retirement, and you pull it out with no penalty, and no taxation on its earnings at all 