By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst With all the recent changes to IRAs under the SECURE Act [i.e., required minimum distribution (RMD) age raised to 72, new rules for beneficiaries, etc.], combined with the CARES Act waiver of RMDs last year, it comes as no surprise...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Question: A new customer came to me asking for help with an IRA. Unfortunately, he had already accepted a check from the 401(k) plan made out to him personally. He sat on the check for 5 months and deposited it...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Just a few weeks after the start of the baseball season, the IRS has thrown us a curveball by apparently interpreting the SECURE Act 10-year payout rule in a totally-unexpected way. We say “apparently” because the IRS explanation isn’t...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Question: Hi, I inherited my husband’s 401(k) when he died last year. I kept the assets with the 401(k) administrator, believing I had to do that to take distributions without 10% penalty. (I am under 59 ½ years old). If I...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Required minimum distributions (RMDs) were waived for 2020 but they are back now for 2021. This includes the RMD for the year of death of the IRA owner. The rules for this RMD can be tricky. One question that comes...
George Nichols III is the 10th President and Chief Executive Officer in The American College of Financial Services’ storied history. He continues to take motivation from founder Solomon Huebner’s pioneering vision in 1927, while empowering The College to usher in the...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Question: Hi, Ed, I am hoping I get to attend one or more of your events IN PERSON this year! If you have time for a refresher . . . . Jon’s 2021 RMD is $200k. He takes $100k as a distribution to himself in February and later, he decides...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst In my blog entry from March 22, I discussed the formula for calculating the amount of a direct Roth IRA contribution when your income falls within the Roth phaseout limits. Another common phaseout covers how much of a Traditional...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Question: Has the deadline to make an IRA contribution for 2020 been extended since the 2020 tax filing date has been extended to May 17, 2021? Robert Answer: Hi Robert, Yes. The 2020 IRA contribution deadline is...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Fewer and fewer workers are participating in defined benefit pension (DB) plans these days. The high cost of maintaining those plans has led many employers to terminate existing plans and dissuaded many others from setting up new plans in...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst When it comes to contributing directly to a Roth IRA, an individual must have modified adjusted gross income below a certain level. This income level cutoff is not a “cliff,” meaning if you go one dollar over the level, you do...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Question: Hi, I found you by searching to find out if we can offer two SIMPLE IRA options for our employees. I don’t know if that is something permitted. The idea is to have a cryptocurrency option set up as a SIMPLE in...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education The CARES Act waived required minimum distributions (RMDs) for 2020, but they are back for 2021. The return of RMDs for this year has raised questions about how these distributions should be calculated. Here is...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst We’ve been getting a number of questions lately about whether it’s too late to set up a new solo 401(k) plan for 2020. The answer is “sort of.” Business owners with no employees (other than a spouse) can contribute to a solo 401(k) plan....
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Question: I have self-directed traditional and Roth accounts at an SDIRA Custodian. Can I do a Roth conversion of an illiquid asset from the traditional to the Roth account? The investment I want to convert is a debt-only asset (no...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Casinos have house rules. These rules dictate what patrons can and cannot do. They are often written down, posted, and there is no debating the validity of said guidelines. House rules govern...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport For those just starting out, saving for retirement can be challenging. For young workers, paying the rent and buying the week’s groceries may take priority and there is only so...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Question: I am 75 years old and am planning to retire this year. I have a 401(k) plan with my employer and, I assume, need to roll it over into an IRA. In this case do I need to take a 2021 RMD? If so, how is it...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst For an area as highly regulated as IRAs and company plans, it’s not surprising that there’s a ton of abbreviated terms to keep track of. Here’s 18 common ones that you should know: CARES Act. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic...
Thursday, February 25, 2021 A Preview of Ed Slott’s New Book: The New Retirement Savings Time Bomb By Ed Slott, CPA If you’re a dedicated Ed Slott and Company fan, at this point, you’ve likely heard about my upcoming new book, The New Retirement Savings Time...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Have you contributed to a Roth IRA for 2020? If you have not, you still have some time. The deadline for making a prior year contribution is the tax-filing deadline, not including any extensions you might have. For...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst When we think of rollovers, we normally think of moving funds from a 401(k) (or other company plan) to an IRA. But it sometimes makes sense to consider a “reverse rollover” – from an IRA to a 401(k). Unfortunately, although 401(k) plans...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Question: Hi, I have a client that took a $14k IRA distribution on 1/10/2021 and another $14k distribution on 2/10/2021. He wants to replace all $28k using the 60 day rollover as funds are no longer needed. Does the 60 day rollover rule...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Surprisingly, the rules governing what happens when an ex-spouse acquires a Roth IRA after divorce are unclear. There are no specific directions in the Tax Code or in the regulations. However, there is definitive guidance for a...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Whenever there is a new administration there is a lot of uncertainty about what the change will mean for retirement accounts. In 2021, this change is happening in the middle of a pandemic that has upended the lives...
