IMPERIAL, Pa. — April 15 is right around the corner, and that means it’s tax time. Hopefully you are using a tax professional to prepare your taxes, or at least a software program like TurboTax or Tax Cut to maximize deductions and minimize errors.

One deduction you should consider is an IRA. To qualify, you must be employed and under the age of 70. You can put as much as $5,000 into your IRA, and an extra $1,000 if you are 50 or older. Traditional IRAs are tax deductible as long as you meet certain criteria. When you withdraw the money (at retirement age), everything is taxable.

A Roth IRA is another great tax savings tool. Roth IRAs have most of the same characteristics as traditional IRAs, with a few exceptions. They are not tax deductible, but if you leave money in a Roth IRA for at least five years and until age 59½, then all withdrawals will be tax-free. In addition, there are no required minimum distributions with a Roth account, and if you leave this money to heirs, they will owe no income taxes.

SNPJ offers IRAs, Roth IRAs and annuities. For more than 105 years we have helped our members with their savings program. These accounts pay competitive interest and provide a strong guarantee. We can also help you roll over or transfer funds to SNPJ from another institution.

For a free IRA information kit, please contact your Lodge secretary, local sales representative or the SNPJ Home Office at 1-800-843-7675. Let us help make tax time a little less stressful.

• Thought for the Week — My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces. Wilma Rudolph, three-time Olympic gold medalist