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Hitting the maximum speed limit for the first time while driving? Exhilarating, but fleeting. Maxing out your Roth IRA? Less exhilarating, but much more rewarding.
Whether the balance in your retirement account sits at empty or you’re trying to rev up your planning, it may be time to take a Roth IRA for a spin. This type of individual retirement account will grant you access to a broader array of investments that often have lower fees than employer-sponsored plans. And even with 2017 in the rearview mirror, you have until April 17 to contribute to these IRAs for that tax year.
Whether you’re looking to max out last year’s or this year’s contributions, the following tips will keep you on track.
1. Open an account
It’ll be hard to max out a Roth IRA without an account and stuffing money in a shoebox won’t cut it. Why IRA the Roth way? These accounts offer valuable tax advantages — money and investment earnings grow tax-free and there’s no income tax on withdrawals during retirement — plus, you’ll benefit from compounding interest (earning interest on both investments and interest over time).
The primary advantage of Roth versus traditional IRAs comes down to taxes. With a Roth, you pay taxes upfront, whereas you’ll pay taxes later with a traditional IRA when you take distributions. Generally speaking, if you’re currently in a low tax bracket (or early stages of your career), consider a Roth IRA because your tax rate may be higher come retirement.
Setting up a Roth IRA takes a matter of minutes. You’ll need to decide whether you prefer an account with an online broker or a robo-advisor (the difference being how actively you want to manage your investments). Once you’ve opened an account, select investments. To benefit from both diversification and low costs, consider a portfolio constructed of index funds and ETFs.
Look for providers with low account minimums, low (or no) account fees and fund minimums, a large selection of no-transaction-fee mutual funds and commission-free exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and the type of customer service and educational resources you desire. Finding a Roth IRA comparison on the web can help you review providers side-by-side.
2. Envision your future
It can be difficult to prioritize far-off goals, especially with opportunities for instant gratification today. Experts recommend saving up to 15 percent of your pretax income each year for retirement.
If you don’t want to work forever, you’ll probably need to save more than what’s allowable in an employer-sponsored plan (a maximum of $18,500 for workers under the age of 50 for tax year 2018). Use a retirement calculator to check whether you’re on-track.
3. Set manageable goals, then make regular contributions
Retirement planning is a decades-long journey and even shorter-term goals, like setting aside $5,500 in one year, can be daunting for most people. This isn’t the type of loose change you likely have laying around — and it’s money you won’t be able to touch (without incurring penalties) for decades to come.
But breaking down that $5,500 goal into a more manageable weekly or monthly amount may help. Maxing out contributions this year works out to about $15.07 a day, roughly $105.77 each week or about $458.33 monthly.
With those numbers in mind, set up a schedule for making contributions to your Roth IRA. Don’t go for the extremes (once-a-day or once-a-year); instead, opt for a manageable schedule, like the same day each month. This will help ensure you don’t rack up trading costs with a too-frequent schedule and resist the urge to time the market with a too-infrequent strategy.
Opt for an automatic trading plan, if possible, to benefit from dollar-cost averaging. This is a strategy of spreading out investment purchases over time to ensure you don’t invest all your money when prices are high.
4. Know your limits
Don’t despair if you can’t max out a Roth IRA this year — this goal may take time to achieve. Even a few hundred dollars invested can balloon to several thousand dollars over the course of a decade or two.
When in doubt, be prudent: Don’t try to max out an IRA if you’re racking up high-interest debt in the meantime or don’t have enough to cover monthly expenses.
Contribute whatever money you can this year and resolve to increase that amount down the road.

An emergency call from a child led to a trip to the hospital and jail for a local woman.
Brittany Martin, 29, of Village Lane in Amelia, was arrested at 10:14 p.m. Friday on charges of child desertion, possession of a Schedule I controlled dangerous substance (synthetic cannabinoids), misuse of toxic vapors, possession of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a person under 17, contributing to the delinquency of juveniles and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office.
A deputy responded to a medical emergency at a residence in Amelia after St. Mary 911 received a call from a child that an adult female was in medical distress.
The woman, identified as Martin, was transported to Teche Regional Medical Center for evaluation.
During the deputy’s investigation, it was found that Martin smoked synthetic cannabinoids from a makeshift pipe.
Martin and the child were the only two occupants in the residence at the time of the incident. The pipe used to smoke the drug was recovered from the residence. Upon her release from the hospital, Martin was taken into custody on the charges. Synthetic cannabinoids were also located on Martin’s person. Martin was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking.

ARISE WOMEN
Ministry Bible Study at 5:30 p.m. March 1 at Siracusa Recreation Center.

BERWICK HOUSING
Authority taking applications for all units 8:15-11 a.m. and 1:15-3 p.m. Tuesday, March 6. Must bring birth certificates and Social Security cards for all members of household, picture ID for all members over 18 and current proof of income. For info call 985-385-1546.

ADULT CO-ED VOLLEYBALL
Berwick Adult Co-Ed Volleyball open registrations 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 19, at Berwick Civic Complex. Registration fee $25/player for 4-6 player teams. For info call Berwick Town Hall, 985-384-8858.

MILES 5K
Run Forever Miles 5K and Fun Run is 8 a.m. April 14, Berwick High School. Pre-register by April 1, $20, guarantees T-shirt. After April 1, $25, no T-shirt. For info online: www.mileslinerfoundation.com.

A 28-year-old Morgan City man turned himself in Sunday to authorities after being accused of stealing a motor vehicle from a Franklin home, St. Mary Parish Sheriff Scott Anslum said in a news release.

—Daeon Johnson, 28, of Apple Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:49 p.m. Sunday on a warrant charging him with hit and run driving, theft of a motor vehicle, obstruction of justice, and possession of open alcoholic containers in a motor vehicle and a warrant charging him unauthorized use of a moveable.

The warrant for theft of a motor vehicle was issued following an investigation into a vehicle crash on U.S. 90 in the Patterson area. The responding deputy found the vehicle unoccupied.

An open bottle of liquor was inside. The deputy identified Johnson as the driver of the vehicle who ran off the roadway and struck a speed limit sign before coming to a stop in a ditch, the sheriff said.

The deputy found that the vehicle had been stolen from a home in Franklin. The victim was an acquaintance of Johnson, Anslum said. Johnson turned himself at parish jail. No bail is set.

Anslum reported that deputies responded to 40 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests relating to east St. Mary Parish:

—Shannon Charlie, 38, of Taft Street in Patterson, was arrested at 1:44 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant for failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the drug court treatment program.

A deputy came into contact with Charlie at a home in Patterson and located the active warrant for her arrest. Charlie was jailed with bail set at $100,000.

—Stephen Jones, 42, Roussell Lane in Patterson, was arrested at 3:22 p.m. Tuesday on two warrants for failure to appear on charges of criminal neglect of family.

A deputy located Jones at a home in Patterson on the warrants and transported him to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bail is set at $12,221.42.

—Scott Odinga, 47, of Station Club Drive Southwest in Marietta, Georgia, was arrested at 4:58 p.m. Tuesday on charges of simple battery, disturbing the peace intoxicated and remaining where forbidden.

A deputy responded to a call for service from a business in Amelia regarding a person who refused to leave the premises. A deputy learned from security personnel that they received complaints from patrons about Odinga’s intoxicated condition and asked him to leave. Odinga refused, Anslum said.

The deputy collected evidence that as Odinga was being escorted from the location he grabbed a woman, Anslum said. Following the investigation, Odinga was jailed with bail set at $4,000.

—Salvadore Francois, 20, of Natalie Lane in Patterson, was arrested at 9:43 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging him with battery of a dating partner and theft.

The warrant was issued following a November investigation into a report of a battery. The deputy found evidence that Francois grabbed a woman and stole money from her while at a home in Patterson, Anslum said.

A deputy came into contact with Francois at a residence in the Calumet area and located the active warrant for his arrest. Francois was jailed with no bail set.

—Daniel Allen, 33, of CJC Lane in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 3:43 a.m. Wednesday on charges of stop signs and yield signs violations, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A narcotics detective patrolling Bayou Vista observed a vehicle drive past a stop sign and then come to a stop in the roadway on Jupiter Street. The detectives conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver as Allen.

While speaking with Allen, the detectives received consent to search the vehicle and located a pipe used for smoking marijuana, Anslum said. Continuing the investigation, the detective learned that Allen had marijuana at his home, Anslum said.

The detective recovered a jar containing marijuana and other items of drug paraphernalia from the location, Anslum said. Allen was released on a summons to appear in court May 2.

Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported that officers responded to 25 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Matthew T. Rollins, 24, of Diane Lane in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:29 a.m. Monday on charges of disturbing the peace by fighting and possession of drug paraphernalia.

—Ashlyn R. Gros, 26, of Sun Road in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:29 a.m. Monday on charges of disturbing the peace by fighting and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Patrol officers responded to the area of La. 182 in regard to a disturbance. Officers arrived, and Rollins and Gros were identified as the parties involved.

Rollins and Gros were involved in a physical altercation, Blair said. Rollins and Gros were also in possession of drug paraphernalia, Blair said. The duo was arrested and transported to Morgan City jail.

—Joel Landry, 33, of La. 70 in Pierre Part, was arrested at 8:42 a.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging him with contempt of court and two warrants charging him with failure to appear to pay a fine.

Landry was located and arrested at the Assumption Parish Detention Center on Morgan City Court warrants. Landry was jailed.

—Kord T. Atkinson, 31, of Aucoin Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 1:53 p.m. Monday on a warrant charging him with failure to appear to pay probation fee, a warrant charging him with two counts of failure to appear to pay fine and a warrant charging him with contempt of court.

Atkinson was located and arrested in the area of Fifth Street on Morgan City Court warrants. Atkinson was jailed.

—Abram M. Granger Jr., 19, of Apple Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 4:59 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant charging him with three counts of failure to appear for trial. Granger was located and arrested in the area of Sixth Street on a city court warrant. Granger was jailed.

—Kimberly M. Jones, 27, of James Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and improper lane usage.

—Geondre J. Thomas, 25, of 11th Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 8:30 p.m. Monday on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Narcotics division investigators initiated a stop on a vehicle in the area of U.S. 90 that was being operated in an erratic manner, Blair said. Jones was identified as the driver. Thomas was identified as an occupant, Blair said.

Thomas was in possession of suspected marijuana and a firearm in the vehicle, Blair said. Thomas is a convicted felon, which prohibits him from possessing a firearm, Blair said. Jones was in possession of drug paraphernalia, Blair said. The duo was arrested and transported to the Morgan City jail where they were booked and incarcerated.

Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon reported the following arrest:

—Ciara Bergeron Hughes, 39, of Vivian Street in Bayou L’Ourse, was arrested Tuesday on a charge of possession of methamphetamine.

On Tuesday, a uniformed patrol deputy observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation in Bayou L’Ourse and proceeded to stop the vehicle.

The deputy identified and interviewed the driver. There was one passenger in the vehicle, and she was identified as Hughes. The deputy interviewed Hughes and as a result of that interview and other related circumstances, the deputy had a pat down search of the suspect conducted, Falcon said.

During the search, a quantity of methamphetamine was seized, Falcon said. Hughes was jailed pending a bail hearing.

Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported no arrests.

Patterson Police Chief Patrick LaSalle reported no arrests.