The Benefits of Tax-Advantaged Savings Vehicles

Tax-deferred and tax-free investments
Tax deferral is the process of delaying (but not necessarily eliminating) until a future year the payment of income taxes on income you earn in the current year. For example, the money you put into your traditional 401(k) retirement account isn't taxed until you withdraw it, which might be 30 or 40 years down the road!

Tax deferral can be beneficial because:

• The money you would have spent on taxes remains invested
• You may be in a lower tax bracket when you make withdrawals from your accounts (for example, when you're retired)
• You can accumulate more dollars in your accounts due to compounding.

Compounding means that your earnings become part of your underlying investment, and they in turn earn interest. In the early years of an investment, the benefit of  compounding may not be that significant. But as the years go by, the long-term boost to your total return can be dramatic.

Taxes make a big difference
Let's assume two people have $5,000 to invest every  year for a period of 30 years. One person invests in a tax-free account like a Roth 401(k) that earns 6% per year, and the other person invests in a taxable account that also earns 6% each year. Assuming a tax rate of 24%, in 30 years the tax-free account will be worth $395,291, while the taxable account will be
worth $308,155. That's a difference of $87,136.

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