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IRA XRay Learning

Learn how your IRA actually works

Twelve original courses on contributions, costs, distributions, Roth conversions and retiring outside the United States. Educational only.

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The first lesson of every free course is open to read right now. Create a free account to open the rest, keep your place and take the short course quizzes.

Learning path

Five tracks, in the order most people find useful. You can take them in any order.

  1. 1. IRA Foundations

    2 courses · 0 complete on this device

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  2. 2. Investing and Costs

    2 courses · 0 complete on this device

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  3. 3. Moving and Withdrawing Money

    2 courses · 0 complete on this device

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  4. 4. Advanced Planning

    3 courses · 0 complete on this device

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  5. 5. Retiring Abroad

    3 courses · 0 complete on this device

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Retiring Abroad track. Living outside the United States adds rules that depend on your citizenship, residence, the specific country and the treaty in force. This track is written to help you work out what to research and who to ask. It does not state what any country will tax, withhold or allow in your case.

Course library

5 courses shown.

FreeInvesting and Costs

Building an IRA Investment Mix

How time horizon and tolerance for loss shape an educational target mix, and how to read the difference between that target and what you hold.

29 min4 lessons

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FreeMoving and Withdrawing Money

Rollovers, Transfers and the 60-Day Rule

How money moves between retirement accounts, why a direct transfer is usually the simplest route, and what makes an indirect rollover risky.

28 min4 lessons

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PremiumAdvanced Planning

Roth Conversion Planning Fundamentals

What a conversion is mechanically, which figures decide whether it is worth analysing, and the side effects that surprise people.

33 min4 lessonsPremium

About this course

How Learning works here

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Premium courses are confirmed by your account. A page address, a saved value in your browser or a query string cannot open one. Premium marks them in the library.

Educational information only. IRA XRay does not provide individualized investment, tax or legal advice, and nothing here is a recommendation. Contribution limits, income thresholds, distribution ages, tax rates and treaty terms change, so confirm current rules with the IRS, the Social Security Administration, Medicare or a qualified professional before you act.