Because many people expect to
be in a higher tax bracket down the road (since they hope to be earning more later in their career), it makes for a tax - efficient savings strategy since you pay less in taxes now.
But if you are in a low tax bracket now and
anticipate being in a higher tax bracket in a few years, then it may be a better idea to capitalize the asset and get bigger tax savings over the next few years.
Put money in a Roth IRA (my wife's 401k has really high fees and we will
definitely be in a higher tax bracket when we retire, so the Roth seems to be the way to go for extra retirement money after we take advantage of the full 401k match)
Municipal bond funds are exempt from paying federal taxes, and in some case even exempt from state taxes... Most investors that invest in mumi
funds are in the higher tax bracket, so muni funds are a good choice, to avoid being taxed on the dividends.
On the other hand, if you're in line for a promotion and expect to
be in a higher tax bracket next year, it would make more sense to realize the entire gain now, which would allow you to report it in a year when you'll pay less tax.
• Take advantage of the Roth variations of your 401 (k) and IRA, especially in your early working years when you may
not be in a high tax bracket.
If the
employee is in a higher tax bracket during retirement than he is when he is putting money in the Roth 401 (k), the plan allows him to pay a lower tax rate than he would in a regular 401 (k)-- since withdrawals during retirement are tax free.
If you think that your income is going to go up and that you could
be in a higher tax bracket later on, you may choose to forgo the up front tax deduction in favor of a future tax benefit.
In both instances, people likely to
be in high tax brackets after retirement may prefer to hold a high proportion of municipal bonds, which are generally exempt from federal tax and sometimes from state and local taxes as well.
The big idea here is that you're likely to
be in a higher tax bracket down the road, even in retirement, as compared to your graduate school days — so take advantage of your low tax bracket while you have it.
«It's important think through whether or not they're going to
be in a higher tax bracket in future years, because if they are, then it may not make sense to take the whole benefit in the first year.»