Save on Taxes With New IRA Rules

By Althea Chang, staff writer at MainStreet.com

A change in tax rules, which will allow savers at any income level to take advantage of Roth IRAs, could mean a lower tax bill for you come January.

Currently, retirement savers who make more than $120,000 including certain deductions can't convert their funds to a potentially tax-advantaged Roth IRA. Traditional IRAs and 401(k) funds are taxed on their way out (when you take a distribution), while Roth IRAs are funded on the way in, with after-tax money. The distributions are then tax-free.

As of January 2010, the income cap preventing those with a modified adjusted gross income of more than $120,000 a year (or $176,000 or more if you're married and filing jointly) from converting their retirement savings to a Roth IRA will be lifted, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. ...