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Kiplinger
Kiplinger
Business
Julie Virta, CFP®, CFA, CTFA

Your Late IRA Contributions Have a Procrastination Penalty

A businessman sleeps in his office chair with his feet on his desk.

If you had a choice between getting $100 or $80, which would you choose? The answer seems self-evident, but many investors are, in essence, opting for the lower figure when they procrastinate in making contributions to their IRA or other investment accounts.

There is a span of 15½ months in which you can make your annual contribution to an IRA, from January 1 of the applicable tax year through April 15 (the tax return deadline) the following year. While more investors are taking advantage of early contributions, Vanguard research found that many more are still holding their contributions until right before the deadline.

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