what are the disadvantages of a roth ira 
among the disadvantages of roth iras is the fact that unlike 401 k s they do not include an up front tax break secondly annual contribution limits are about a third of 401 k s and for some high income individuals contributions are either reduced or not allowed 28the bottom linea roth ira is an individual retirement account ira that allows you to withdraw money without paying a penalty on a tax free basis after age 59 and after you have owned the account for its five year holding period if you buy a home pay for college or need your roth funds for the birth or adoption of a child you can also withdraw without paying a penalty roth accounts are funded with after tax money so while you don t get the up front tax break of a traditional ira you can withdraw your contributions without paying federal or state income tax on the amount after meeting the criteria for withdrawals for individuals who anticipate that they will be in a higher tax bracket when they are older or have retired roth iras can provide a beneficial option as the money is not taxable unlike a 401 k or traditional ira withdrawals 