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Ramsey and Orman rarely agree but both prioritize maximizing Roth IRA contributions and eliminating debt before retirement.
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Roth IRAs eliminate future tax uncertainty and required minimum distributions for original account holders.
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Paying off high interest loans provides a risk-free return equal to the interest rate removed.
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A recent study has identified a habit of Americans that doubles their retirement savings and moves retirement from dream to reality. Read more here.
Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman rarely see eye to eye. Ramsey champions aggressive debt repayment and famously avoids credit cards altogether. Orman encourages responsible credit use and building a strong credit score. They differ in Social Security timing, annuities, and broader investment philosophies. Yet on two key retirement fundamentals, these philosophical oppositions are firmly aligned: maximize Roth IRA contributions and eliminate debt before retirement.
That alignment is important precisely because they disagree on so much else. When two advisors with fundamentally different perspectives converge on the same advice, it indicates principles worth closer examination.
Both Ramsey and Orman often highlight the benefits of Roth IRAs. You pay tax on contributions today, then enjoy tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals in retirement. That structure removes much of the uncertainty about future tax rates.
With core CPI inflation hovering around 2.5% year over year, long-term purchasing power remains a constant concern for retirees. The benefit of tax-free compounding becomes even more powerful over decades, because benefits are not reduced by future ordinary income taxes in withdrawal years.
Traditional IRAs are tax-deferred, but distributions are taxed as ordinary income in retirement. If tax rates rise or your taxable income is higher than expected, that deferral can be costly. Roth IRAs reduce that risk by locking in today’s tax rate on contributions and eliminating required minimum distributions for the original account holder.
For retirees, this translates into a more predictable income plan. There are no mandatory withdrawals that force taxable income at inconvenient times, and there is no uncertainty about how future tax brackets may affect withdrawals.
Both advisors also emphasize entering retirement without debt. No mortgage. No car loan. No credit card balance. The logic is straightforward: fixed retirement income leaves less room for mandatory monthly payments.
The math depends on the interest rate. Paying off high-interest debt, such as credit card balances, provides a risk-free return equal to the interest rate you’re paying off, often much more than conservative investments provide. Lower rate mortgage loans may be a close call, but the cash flow flexibility of being debt free is a powerful benefit in retirement.
