<prompt> Human: maybe someone can explain this better, but i never expect in my lifetime to leave the 15 tax bracket. that is i never expect to make more than the 36,000 a year. because i could harvest the gains yearly i would never pay any capital gains, if i put the money into a retirement account i would pay ordinary income taxes on any gains. which would not be much but more than nothing. am i missing something?  <response>: One thing I havent seen mentioned - you never expect to leave the 15 tax bracket but you dont know where the 15 bracket will be 10-20 years from now. Depending on where you live it may be moot as 36,000 isnt a huge amount of money, but I think everyone should save for retirement. Two types of retirement accounts would be worth it for you: A 401k if your employer offers a match. Its free money and will trump any gains you get elsewhere. If they match 3 or whatever just do it - youll be so far ahead in the long run. Without an employer match, you should at least put some money into a Roth IRA. I hesitate to say this as you shouldnt plan for it, but your contributions can always be withdrawn penalty free. Youll never go wrong saving for retirement. 