IRAs are one of the most popular tax breaks for U.S. taxpayers. Traditional IRAs allow retirement savers to put money in a tax-favored account and defer any taxation on income or gains until they make withdrawals from the account. The longer you keep money in the account, therefore, the longer you can wait before having to pay taxes.

Tax deferral is a good thing, and that's why many people wait until the age at which the IRS forces them to start taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from their retirement accounts. Currently, that age is 72, but in many cases, waiting that long actually doesn't lead to the best result for retirees. In some cases, an alternative can actually save you in taxes over the long run.

Nobody likes to pay taxes sooner than they have to, and that's why delaying IRA distributions until hitting the RMD age is so popular. However, if you can pay less in taxes now in order to avoid paying more later, most people will find a way to reach that favorable outcome.

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Source Fool.com