<prompt> Human: At my current income level, and with current capital gains tax laws, I pay 0 tax on any longterm capital gains. My understanding is that the Roth IRA shields my money from longterm capital gains tax, but not income and payroll tax. If I dont pay capital gains taxes, what benefit do I get from the Roth IRA over a normal investment account?  <response>: Capital gains taxes are based on your tax rate when you have the gain - which is when you sell, not when you buy. 