Roth IRAs have two really nice features.

Roth IRAs have two really nice features. One, you can withdraw your contributions at any time. If you put $1,000 in there and then decide you want that $1,000 back three years from now, you can take it out with no problems at all. However, you can’t touch the gains without paying taxes and an additional penalty, unless you take advantage of the second benefit, which is that if you’ve had the account for five years and you’re 59 1/2 years old or older, you can withdraw the gains tax free.