[alveraz]

Hi everyone,

I opened an account with Sharebuilder and have started to invest in stocks. I plan to play the market but re-invest when I sell. I'm not going to remove any earnings from this account and I plan to keep this account going for the next 10-20 years, so it's a long-term plan.

As of now it's just a standard individual account. Should I turn this into a Roth IRA instead? What are the differences between an individual standard stock account and a Roth IRA? I know the basics of a Roth IRA, but I don't know the disadvantages of having a regular individual account in comparison. How will I be punished in taxes with a standard individual account now and later?

Thanks for the help!