87beemer wrote:
It was advised not to buy mutual funds in December due to the distributions and taxes. Is this a concern if they are purchased in an IRA account?

When mutual funds are held inside an IRA, any dividends or capital gains they distribute remain inside the IRA and are not taxed until withdrawn, at which time they are taxed at your marginal rate. So, inside an IRA, from a tax perspective, it doesn't make any difference when you buy or sell your mutual funds.

Russ