What are regular taxable retirement accounts?

DON W

In the US, it's any stash of money that you have put aside toward retirement that isn't considered a "qualified tax-deferred retirement account" by the Internal Revenue Service. So, a 401K through your employer would be a qualified tax-deferred retirement account that you don't pay tax on until you start to pull the money out, typically when you're in your 60s. Similarly, an IRA (Individual Retirement Account) is tax-deferred. Money that you put into the bank, or purchase stock with, that doesn't qualify as a 401K or an IRA, is generally taxed by the government.