Jennifer Walsh Jennifer Walsh · June 8, 2026
Account maintenance fees — Annual fees charged just for having the account open. These are the most important fees to eliminate, and all three major brokerages now charge $0. Trading commissions — Per-trade fees when buying or selling. Again, $0 at all major brokerages for stocks and ETFs. Fund expense ratios — The annual percentage … Read more
Jennifer Walsh · May 29, 2026
A parent called me last spring with a question I hear constantly: “My daughter just turned 22, has her first real job, and I want to help her start a Roth IRA. Where should she open it?” Choosing a Roth IRA for an adult child sounds simple, but the differences between brokerages — fees, minimums, … Read more
Jennifer Walsh · May 19, 2026
Last spring, I was reading about a parent wanting to open a Schwab custodial Roth IRA for their 14-year-old daughter who’d earned $312 from a summer job at a local bakery. That question — “Can we do this at Schwab?” — is one I’ve seen asked more than almost any other when it comes to … Read more
Jennifer Walsh · May 9, 2026
It is one of the most common questions I see asked: a fifteen-year-old earns $3,200 lifeguarding over the summer, and a parent wants to know where that money should go. The answer is often a Fidelity custodial Roth IRA — an account a surprising number of parents have never heard of. Once you work through … Read more
Jennifer Walsh · April 29, 2026
Over the past few years, I have watched the math on my own retirement accounts shift in a way that demands urgent attention. I know people in their mid-50s who did everything right—maxed their 401(k) every year, lived below their means, accumulated $1.4 million or more in tax-deferred accounts. On paper, they look like retirement … Read more
Jennifer Walsh · April 19, 2026
I still remember 2007, when I was deep in the weeds of my own retirement account strategy and realized something that stuck with me. The advice circulating everywhere back then was to put everything into a traditional IRA for the upfront deduction, and almost nobody running that playbook had modelled it. Take a fairly ordinary … Read more
Jennifer Walsh · April 10, 2026
A few years ago, a surgeon came to me frustrated. She was earning just over $230,000 a year, had maxed out her 401(k), and kept hearing that she “made too much” to contribute to a Roth IRA. She assumed that door was permanently closed. It wasn’t. Within one meeting, we had a backdoor Roth IRA … Read more
Jennifer Walsh · March 31, 2026
About three years ago, I was deep in my own Roth conversion analysis — sitting with $1.4 million in a traditional IRA and facing the same question a 58-year-old former hospital administrator might face — when I realized I needed to change my approach. I told myself to slow down on conversions. Not stop. Slow … Read more
Jennifer Walsh · March 21, 2026
A few years ago, I realized I’d been making a significant mistake with my own Roth IRA. I’d maxed out contributions for years, stayed disciplined about it, kept a diversified portfolio across my accounts — but when I actually looked at what I had inside that Roth IRA, I had to stop and reconsider my … Read more
Jennifer Walsh · March 11, 2026
Financial Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Key Takeaways What Is the Difference Between a Custodial IRA and a Traditional IRA? When comparing a custodial IRA vs traditional IRA, the most fundamental distinction is who can open one … Read more