There are significant benefits for taxpayers who plan for their retirement with Roth IRAs instead of regular individual retirement accounts. Although there are striking similarities between Roth IRAs and individual retirement accounts, money withdrawn from Roth IRAs is not taxed. Under current guidelines, earnings in a Roth IRA can be withdrawn tax-free after a five-year holding period if any of the following criteria is met: the person is at least 59.5 years old, distributions are due to death or disability, or the person is a first-time home buyer.