Opening the Roth IRA was the hard part, and you've already done it. That puts you ahead of most people. But an open Roth IRA isn't doing anything for you yet — a lot of people open one, feel good about it, and then leave it sitting empty or in cash for years. Here's the short, practical list of what actually comes next.

1. Actually put money in it

Opening an account and funding it are two different steps, and the second one is easy to forget. For 2026 you can contribute up to $7,500 (or $8,600 if you're 50 or older). You don't need to hit the max — even a small automatic monthly transfer beats a lump sum you keep meaning to make. And you have time: contributions for a tax year can be made right up until that year's tax-filing deadline the following spring.

2. Invest the money once it's in there

This is the step that trips people up most. Cash you move into a Roth IRA usually lands in a settlement or money market position and stays there until you choose investments. The account is a container, not an investment by itself. Money sitting uninvested in a Roth is money that isn't growing tax-free — which was the whole point. Decide how it should be invested (or talk to someone who can help you decide) so it starts working, or learn more about how to plan your financial future with a Roth IRA to build a strategy that fits your horizon.

3. Know the income limits before you contribute

Roth IRAs have income limits, and if you earn above a certain amount your allowed contribution shrinks or disappears. For 2026, the phase-out range is $153,000 to $168,000 for single filers and heads of household, and $242,000 to $252,000 for married couples filing jointly — as your income moves up through that band, the amount you can put in shrinks, and above the top of it you can't contribute to a Roth directly at all. (If you're married filing separately, it phases out between $0 and $10,000.)

If your income is close to or above those numbers, don't just contribute and hope — an excess contribution carries a penalty every year it stays in the account. Utilizing structured tax planning services is a highly effective way to audit your income thresholds and make a five-minute check before you fund your account.

4. Understand what "tax-free" actually requires

The Roth's superpower is that qualified withdrawals in retirement come out completely tax-free. "Qualified" generally means you're at least 59½ **and** the account has been open at least five years. Your own contributions can always come back out without tax or penalty, but the growth has rules. You don't need to memorize them today — just know the five-year clock started the moment you opened the account, which is one more reason opening it was a good move.

5. Make it automatic and leave it alone

The best thing you can do with a Roth IRA is boring: contribute automatically, keep it invested, and don't touch it. Time and tax-free compounding do the work.

Where a planner comes in

A Roth IRA is one piece of a bigger picture — how it fits with your workplace retirement plan, whether a backdoor Roth makes sense if you're over the income limit, and how it interacts with the rest of your tax year. That's the difference between having an account and having a plan.