Skip to content
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Parman & Easterday

Oklahoma Estate Planning Attorneys

Call Now: (405) 843-6100 |
(918) 615-2700

Attend an Education Program-OKC Area
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • What Our Clients Say
  • Estate Planning
    • Asset Protection
    • Business Succession Planning
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Financial Planning Assistance
    • IRA and Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • Powers of Attorney
    • Probate
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration
    • Oklahoma Wills and Trusts
    • Young Families
  • Elder Law
    • Coping With Alzheimer’s
    • Elder Law
    • Emergency Medicaid
    • Guardianship & Conservatorship
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Veteran’s Benefits
  • Resources
    • Asset Protection Worksheet
    • DocuBank
    • Elder Law
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Elder Law Reports
      • Elder Law Resources
        • Edmond Elder Law
        • Oklahoma City Elder Law
        • Yukon Elder Law
      • Medicaid
      • Nursing Home Resources
    • Estate Planning
      • An Overview of Estate and Gift Taxes
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Reports
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Free Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Alzheimer’s Frequently Asked Questions
      • Asset Protection Planning
      • Digital Estate Planning
      • Estate and Gift Tax FAQs
      • Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning for Blended Families
      • Estate Plan Review
      • Elder Law
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Incentive Trust
      • Inheritance Planning for Minors
      • IRA and Inheritance Planning
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Nursing Home Asset Protection
      • Outdated Documents
      • Probate
      • Small Business Succession Planning
      • Special Needs Planning
      • Trust Administration
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Wills and Trusts
    • Micro Webinar – Wills
    • Newsletters
    • Probate and Trust Administration
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • Probate Checklist
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
    • Probate Resources
      • Midwest City Probate
      • Moore Probate
      • Oklahoma City Probate
    • Published Books
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Year-End Estate Planning Checklist
  • Communities We Serve
    • Canadian County
      • Yukon
    • Cleveland County
      • Moore
      • Norman
    • Oklahoma County
      • Edmond
      • Midwest City
      • Nichols Hills
      • Oklahoma City
    • Tulsa
      • Owasso
    • Washington County
      • Bartlesville
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • BLOG
  • Contact Us
Home » Uncategorized » When (And Why) Should I Open an IRA?

When (And Why) Should I Open an IRA?

August 25, 2016 by Larry Parman, Estate Planning Attorney, Author, Speaker

Money

An IRA, or Individual Retirement Arrangement, is a powerful financial tool. It may be one of the best options available to help you achieve financial security during your golden years. If you do not already have an IRA, you are missing out on a golden opportunity and are losing out on financial benefits you can never regain. Act today to open your Individual Retirement Account so you can get on the path to financial freedom.

Parman and Easterday has extensive experience helping clients plan ahead for retirement. We know the rules established by the Internal Revenue Service for Individual Retirement Arrangements and will help you determine if you are eligible for the tax benefits an IRA can provide. We will also assist you in choosing the right type of IRA and getting the account opened and funded.

Why Should You Open an IRA?

You should open an IRA for a number of different reasons, such as:

  • IRAs make it easier to save for retirement: Depending upon the type of IRA you open, you can invest with pre-tax funds. This means you take a tax deduction for money put into the account. If you opt for a Roth-IRA instead, you invest with after-tax money but you take out money later tax free. With either type of account, the government essentially subsidizes your retirement savings.
  • Your financial security during retirement is up to you. Living on Social Security benefits alone is not a viable option for most seniors, as benefits are simply not high enough to pay for the cost of living. Social Security was supposed to be part of a “three-legged” stool, which included an employer pension, Social Security benefits, and personal savings. Today, most employers don’t offer a defined benefits pension. Social Security alone isn’t enough to pick up the slack, so you need to strengthen the other leg of the stool by saving more.
  • IRAs can keep your assets safe. IRAs get special protections under the law, so there is less risk that you will lose the assets you own in this type of account.

These are a few key reasons why it makes sense to open an IRA. An experienced retirement planning lawyer can help you choose between the different kinds of IRAs and to make decisions on what kinds of retirement investing are right for you.

When Should You Open an IRA?

You should open an IRA as soon as you can begin contributing money to it. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) establishes annual limits for contributing to an IRA. Once a year has gone by and you have not contributed money to the account, the chance to make the annual contribution for that particular year is gone forever. You’ve lost the opportunity to put money into the account and get the tax benefits that go along with making the deposit.

It is a good idea to open an IRA as soon as possible so your retirement fund can begin growing and you can take advantage of compound interest. While putting money into any type of investment account is beneficial, since your money can start working to help your nest egg grow more quickly, IRAs get special protection  to keep your assets safe. For example, if you have to file for bankruptcy, the money you put into the IRA is an exempt asset and you do not need to worry that the money will be lost to pay creditor claims. When you have worked hard to amass a nest egg to provide for your financial needs during retirement, it makes sense to keep the money in an account where it will be safe for your future.

Getting Help From an IRA and Retirement Planning Lawyer

Parman and Easterday will provide you with assistance in all aspects of planning for retirement, including making the best use of IRAs. You cannot afford to waste time in building your wealth and achieving financial security. You only have yourself to count on saving enough for retirement. We work with you to make the process easy.

To find out more about how we help our clients, give us a call today at (405) 703-9987 or contact us online.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Larry Parman, Estate Planning Attorney, Author, Speaker
Larry Parman, Estate Planning Attorney, Author, Speaker
Founder and Owner at Parman & Easterday
Larry Parman's dad died at 56 in a farm accident with no estate plan. His family spent two years fighting the IRS and nearly three years in probate. That experience became Larry's life work.

Since founding Parman & Easterday in 1985, Larry has led over 1,000 free, community-service education programs and helped more than 10,000 Oklahoma families go from putting off their estate plan to getting it done. His goal for every client is the same: to become the person their family calls "the one who took care of everything."

Larry is the author of three books: The Straight Shooter's Guide to Estate Planning; Estate Planning Basics; and Guiding Those Left Behind in Oklahoma. He served as Oklahoma's Secretary of State and Secretary of Commerce, and his firm is the only member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys in the state.
Larry Parman, Estate Planning Attorney, Author, Speaker
Latest posts by Larry Parman, Estate Planning Attorney, Author, Speaker (see all)
  • Choosing the Right Successor Trustee: Key Considerations - October 8, 2026
  • Aging in Place: A Medicaid Waiver Can Fill the Gap - October 6, 2026
  • Does Every Estate Go Through Probate? - September 29, 2026

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Other Articles You May Find Useful

Do You Need A Will If You Have Living Trust
Does Your Estate Plan Include Contingent Beneficiaries?
Estate Planning For Single Seniors
Medicaid Planning: What Can a Healthy Spouse Keep?
Parman & Easterday
Assets & Probate Law: Back To The Basics Of Estate Planning
Medicaid Home And Community Based Services Waiver
Life Care Planning: What Is It?
Estate Planning Preparedness Scaled E
Don’t Overcomplicate the Estate Planning Process
Estate Plan
Will Your Estate Plan Still Work If You Move?

Primary Sidebar

Parman & Easterday, LLP

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Where We Are

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
13913 Quail Pointe Dr Ste B
Oklahoma City, OK 73134
Phone: (405) 843-6100
Fax: (405) 917-7018

MAP

parman_sidbr_map

Where We Are

TULSA, OK
By Appointment for Current Clients Only
7633 E 63rd Pl Suite 312,
Tulsa, OK 74133
Phone: (918) 615-2700
Fax: (405) 917-7018

Map

parman_sidbr_map

Footer

footer-logo

The information on this Oklahoma Law Firm website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

Oklahoma City Estate Planning Attorneys at Parman & Easterday offer estate planning services in the Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Oklahoma and surrounding areas. Contact us for help today.

Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Site Map | Powered by American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys


© 2026 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube