So I was gearing up to make my Roth IRA contribution because that is just what I have always done. But it made me think should I really be doing this? My wife and I are pretty frugal and based on our current spending even with travel I don't see us needing more than $50k a year in retirement. With this level of expenses we would be at the 0% tax on long term capital gains when withdrawing from our taxable account. So why contribute to a Roth IRA and put restrictions on the age we can withdraw that money? I realize that tax brackets and rates can change (and undoubtedly will) and it might make sense to protect those funds in a tax shelter just in case, but with our level of expenses I am still struggling with it a little bit. We are 35 and will hopefully retire in mid to late 40's. What am I missing?