One of the keys to wealth building is protecting as much of your income as possible, making it crucial for high-income earners to develop a smart tax savings strategy. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are a great tool to help you accomplish this goal, yet they are often overlooked or misunderstood. When you do take advantage of an HSA – and you use it correctly – it provides an easy annual income tax deduction, but it can also create dedicated, tax-free savings for your healthcare needs in retirement.
Think of your retirement savings (IRAs and 401(k) as going to pay for other retirement expenses such as food, shelter, and clothes, and you can see that you need to jump-start saving in your HSA for your health care costs (including Medicare premiums) in retirement. Moreover, an HSA is a savings account with a unique triple tax benefit. All contributions are tax-free, their growth within the account is tax-free, and qualified withdrawals (that is, ones that are used to cover qualified medical expenses) are tax-free, too.
Though this may sound promising, one-size-fits-all investment strategies don’t exist. Would an HSA make good financial sense for you? Read on to find out.