<prompt> Human: I think IRA stands for individual retirement account, so 401k is technically a type of IRA. But most sources treat them separately and differently. Is it because they are comparing 401k to a TRADITIONAL IRA?Im also a bit confused about the lack of capital gain tax. So lets say I put 10000 into a IRA non-roth now and my tax rate is 25 now. At retirement age, the fund is worth 50000. If I withdraw, I pay taxes on the 50000 based on my tax rate then but I dont have to pay capital gain tax on the 40k?Is that how it works? How would the math change if one has to pay a capital gain of 10?thanks  <response>: Read both of these: They should answer your basic questions then you can come back if you have more! 