3 Considerations When Opening an IRA Account

As we head toward April 15 it is now high IRA season for the major brokerage and financial services firms.   You will undoubtedly see many TV commercials and ads by these firms touting the benefits of opening an IRA with their firm.  Here are 3 things to consider as you evaluate your best IRA account options.

How much will this cost me? 

Some firms may charge a fee just to have the account.  This might be on the order of $25 or $50 annually.  If your balance is relatively low this can be a significant bite.  Sometimes these fees are based on the size of your account balance.

Additionally you will want to understand any and all transaction fees.  This might include trading fees for buying and selling stocks, ETFs, or other exchange-traded investment vehicles.  Certain mutual funds might carry a transaction cost as well.

If you are working with a commission-based financial advisor understand how he or she is compensated.  Will the funds in the IRA account they are advocating carry sales charges or high internal fees to compensate them?

Is this custodian a good fit with my investing needs? 

This runs the gamut.  Certainly the fees mentioned above are part of this.  Beyond this look at how you invest and the vehicles in which you invest.

For example if you use ETFs extensively does this custodian offer any commission-free ETFs?  If so are these the ETFs that you would use?

As an example if you were planning on using Vanguard mutual funds exclusively it might make sense to house your IRA there.  On the other hand if you were looking to use funds from a variety of families perhaps a custodian that is more of a fund supermarket like Schwab or Fidelity is more appropriate for you.

Beyond an IRA account is this custodian a good fit for my needs in terms of other types of accounts such as a taxable brokerage account?  Do they offer the full array of services that I might need?  In my experience having an IRA at one custodian plus other accounts scattered around several other custodians is rarely a good idea.

Should I roll my 401(k) to an IRA or leave in my old employers plan? 

One of the primary reasons that investors open an IRA during the year is to roll their old 401(k) account over when leaving a job.

If you are leaving your employer whether to roll your 401(k) balance over to an IRA, leave it in your old employer’s plan, or roll it to your new employer’s plan (if applicable) is a critical decision.

There are good  reasons to move your account balance to an IRA which could include:

• Your old employer’s 401(k) plan is lousy (as is your new employer’s if applicable).
• A desire to consolidate all of your various retirement accounts into a single IRA to make management of your investments easier.
• Access to a wider selection of quality investment options than might be available via your old employer’s plan.
• Perhaps you are working with a trusted financial advisor and the rollover with allow them to better integrate this money with your overall investment strategy. 

On the other hand two reasons to consider either leaving your money in your old employer’s plan or rolling it into your new employer’s plan (if applicable):

• The plan offers a menu of low cost institutional investments that might not be available to you via a rollover IRA.  This is often the case with very large employers with tremendous buying power, but also with smaller plans who use a competent outside investment advisor.
• Similar to the last bullet, the plan offers specific investment options that you would be unable to match in an IRA. 

An IRA, either Traditional or Roth, is a great vehicle to help you win the retirement gamble.  Before opening an IRA account you need to do your homework just as with any investing decision.

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