1) a Roth IRA is just an account for tax free wealth. 2) the money you put in is tax free and you can take that money out, aka your basis. 3) any gains are taxable. The 5 year rules that some people stated mostly pertain to those after the age of 59.5 for tax purposes. 3) you are not allowed to remove more than your basis until age 59.5, not 59. Any gains removed before that are still subject to a 10% penalty. 4) there are qualified expenses that are not subject to these rules.