What is an IRA? Are my contributions to my retirement plan through my workplace, the same as an IRA?

[hbl3973 · Accepted solution]

An IRA is different than an employer-based retirement plan.  IRA stands for Individual Retirement Arrangement and is owned by you directly.  IRS publication 590-A (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p590a.pdf) covers the different types of IRA (Traditional or Roth for most people), how much they can contribute to an IRA and how much, if any, they can deduct that contribution from their taxable income.  IRA's can be opened at banks and most financial institutions, e.g. Fidelity, Vanguard, E-Trade, etc. and may consist of a wide range of investment options.  If you open one, beware of fees and minimum balance requirements.