My IRA strategy has always been this:

**Decide how much to put away when I do my taxes!**

Mind you, this is my *IRA* strategy, not my *Retirement* strategy.

My retirement strategy is to always put away 10% into employer plan (at minimum) and the IRAs are always gravy. I was never opposed to putting away more, but between saving for a home, saving for the transition to one-income, living on one income, etc. I have never done more than 10% to employer plan. Maybe more to the point, I've had no choice in the matter since about 2002. Have put away 20% some years though (10% employer + 10% IRAs). Looking back, we've averaged 12% through thick and thin. Being only 35, and contributing for about 12 years, that has served us well.

I've never much maxed out our IRAs. We got a cash gift in 2008 or 2009, so we maxed out one of those years.

I no longer have a work retirement plan, so ROTHs are the priority. We will max out 2011, by April 2012. We are still on this April funding schedule since we tried to put as much as possible last year to the prior year.

Will see how this year shakes out, but I will add "Fund 2012 ROTHs in 2012" as a potential goal. I think we will be able to get on a calendar year schedule. I am contributing about $800/month and the rest ($400 or so) can come from April bonus. This year's $400 can come from this year's bonus. I'll hold off to see cash position at 12/31, but I only need to cough up another $2000 or so to get on a calendar schedule. It just depends how I feel with parting with that much savings on 12/31.

If we don't make it this year, we can maybe ease into this schedule over the next 2 years.

On a calendar year schedule, will probably just do ALL to the ROTHs. The only reason I put $2k to Traditional IRA this year was to save on the taxes (rather pay myself than the IRS). But next year, if I owe, I owe. It will probably all be deposited to the ROTHs already. ROTHs will be best in the long run, considering current low tax bracket.