Investing Insights How to Make the Most of Your IRA in 2026
Feb 6, 2026
Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning, breaks down practical IRA and retirement strategies. She covers 2026 contribution limits and how to choose between Traditional and Roth accounts. Short, actionable takes on avoiding common IRA mistakes, allocating to international and emerging stocks, rebalancing inside IRAs, and derisking as retirement nears.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Choose IRA Type By Tax Outlook
- Decide between Traditional and Roth by comparing your current tax rate to expected retirement tax rate.
- Consider tax diversification across Roth, Traditional, and taxable accounts.
Avoid Extremes When Funding IRAs
- Avoid extremes like staying in cash or chasing recent high-flying winners when investing new IRA contributions.
- Use diversified allocations that reflect your time horizon instead.
Start With Global Market Or Target Date
- New investors can use a global total market index or a quality target-date fund as easy starting options.
- These provide broad diversification and very low expenses for long-term savers.