How to Make the Most of Your IRA in 2026

Thanks to its tax benefits, your IRA can be a powerful tool to optimize your portfolio. Investment firms often see a big influx of new contributions into individual retirement accounts in the early part of each year as investors rush to meet the April 15 deadline. If you’re one of the many investors adding new funds to your IRA, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning Christine Benz has some ideas on how to make the most of those contributions and improve your portfolio in the process.
How to Get the Most Out of Your IRA Contributions (morningstar.com/retirement/how-get-most-out-yo…)
On this episode:

00:00:00 Welcome
00:01:16 2026 IRA Contribution Limits
00:01:45 How to Decide Between a Traditional and Roth IRA
00:03:52 Stock Investing Mistakes to Avoid With Your IRA
00:05:20 How to Invest Your IRA When You're Early in Your Career
00:08:13 How to Assess Your IRA in the Middle of Your Earning Years
00:10:23 The Advantages of Non-US Stocks and How to Diversify Your IRA
00:14:30 How to Derisk Your Portfolio as You Approach Retirement
00:16:47 Rebalancing Your IRA Without Tax Consequences
00:17:48 Is it ever too late to Contribute to Your IRA?

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Editor's note: An earlier version of this episode published with the wrong episode name and description. Both have been updated.

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