By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Some of you are aware that there are two types of section 457(b) retirement plans – governmental plans for state and local municipal workers, and “top hat” plans for highly-paid and managerial...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport June is Pride Month. While celebrating, same-sex couples may want to take this opportunity to consider plans for their retirement accounts. Since the SECURE Act and SECURE 2.0...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport   Question: I have a large amount of stock from a previous employer in my 401(k).  I had been reinvesting the dividends for the last 23 years since I left the company.  I no longer want to...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport A couple of years ago I was asked what the tax consequences are when a Roth IRA is split in divorce. After a pause, I answered honestly: “I have no idea…but will find out.” In fact, there is no...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Although the U.S. divorce rate is in a steady decline, it’s still one of the highest in the world. And with divorces often come QDROs – “qualified domestic relations orders.” A QDRO is a state court...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: I inherited an IRA from my brother back in 2019. I have been taking required distributions from it each year. Can I do a qualified charitable distribution from this...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Probably the biggest advantage that a spouse beneficiary of an IRA has over other beneficiaries is the ability to do a spousal rollover. Only a spouse beneficiary can do a...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport For deaths in 2020 or later, we know that a non-eligible designated beneficiary (NEDB) of an IRA is subject to the 10-year rule. Meaning, the account must be emptied by the end of the tenth...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: If a 76-year-old is working full time and has a SIMPLE IRA and she does not own any of the company that sponsors the SIMPLE IRA, does she still have to take a RMD (required minimum...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport It looks like IRA owners will probably have to wait awhile to take advantage of a new program that allows them to self-correct IRA errors that previously couldn’t be fixed. In Notice 2023-43, the IRS...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: In 2021, my wife inherited an IRA from her sister who was 4 years younger.  My wife therefore is an EDB (eligible designated beneficiary). Her sister was 66 years old at date of...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport I got into some poison ivy and am suffering the consequences. It takes a few days for the welts to appear, but they are in full bloom. While I did take precautions before starting my yardwork...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The “once-per-year” rollover rule is one of those IRA rules that has serious tax consequences and cannot be fixed if violated. Breaking the rule results in a taxable distribution and a 10% early...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Hello and thank you for all the great, helpful information you continue to send out. I am due to take my first RMD (required minimum distribution) in 2024 which would...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport   You have likely heard of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and you may even understand the basics of how an HSA works. These accounts are really not too complicated. If...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport QUESTION: Do required minimum distributions (RMDs) apply to inherited Roth IRAs? ANSWER: It depends on who the beneficiary is. Owners of traditional IRAs must start taking RMDs when they reach...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Hello, Are you required to take out RMDs (required minimum distributions) on an inherited Roth IRA? The original owner was 82 when he passed away. The funds were left to his nephew, so I...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport   One of the more controversial provisions of the new SECURE 2.0 law concerns 401(k) catch-up contributions. Most 401(k) plans – as well as 403(b) and governmental 457(b) plans – permit employees...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Do you have an IRA you are thinking about converting to a Roth IRA? There are many benefits to converting. You trade an immediate tax bill for the promise of tax-free earnings...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Am I correct to assume if I leave my Roth IRA to my 2 adult children, they will have to take all the money out by the end of year 10 and they will have NO taxes to pay on it because...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport This past week the Ed Slott team hosted another successful conference for our Elite IRA Advisor Group members. Well over 300 advisors from across the country descended on Washington D.C. for...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport It’s certainly not a bad problem to have. But employees with very high compensation cannot have their retirement plan benefits based on all of their pay. Instead, the tax code allows only compensation...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Greetings, There seems to be a lot of conflicting information on Inherited Roth IRAs, for which I was hoping to get a definitive answer from the experts. My...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education If you recently converted your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA and you under 59 ½, you will want to know about the five-year rule for penalty-free distributions of converted funds from your Roth IRA. Many people are...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport In my April 12 Slott Report entry (“5 Reasons to Open a Roth IRA Immediately!”), I included a handful of points as to why it was imperative to open a Roth IRA, especially before the tax filing...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Can I make a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from my IRA to pay for my grandson’s summer church camp? Susan Answer: Hi Susan, You can only make a QCD if the donation would be 100%...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport One important way that IRAs differ from company retirement plans is with respect to spousal financial rights. Most married IRA owners do not need spousal consent before designating a beneficiary other...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport More 401(k) plans are starting to offer Roth options. If you now have this option, you may be wondering what the difference is between a Roth IRA and a Roth 401(k). Which...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Both of my parents passed away last year. My mother passed earlier in 2022 and I was able to take her year-of-death RMD out of the inherited IRA before the end of the year. My dad...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Time is running out! The tax filing deadline is Tuesday, April 18. Why is this important? Because that is the last day an IRA can be opened and/or funded for the previous year. Even if a...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Despite the reduction in the penalty for missing required minimum distributions (RMDs) in the new SECURE 2.0 law, it looks like you will still be able to get the IRS to waive the penalty altogether....

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: I have been told that QCDs are not allowed from local and state government 457(b) plans.  I have looked at the accountant’s IRS manual, websites etc. and I can’t find...

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are rapidly growing in both size and in number. These accounts offer deductible contributions and tax-free distributions for qualified medical expenses. An HSA can be a valuable tool not only for paying for medical expenses but also for...

Higher education expenses can be steep. Fortunately for those under the age of 59 ½ who need to dip into retirement savings to cover these costs, there is an exception to the 10% early withdrawal penalty. Before tapping your IRA, be sure to understand the fundamentals...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: In a recent blog post, you said that the deadline for contributing to a Roth IRA for 2022 is April 18, 2023.  Does that include converting a traditional IRA to a Roth? Answer: You can make a...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport When you leave your job and aren’t fully vested in your company plan account, the plan will forfeit your unvested portion. Recently, the IRS issued new guidance clarifying the forfeiture rules....

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has been in the news recently as bank failures have made headlines. The FDIC is an independent agency created by Congress. It...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Tax season is in full swing. That means that the 2022 tax-filing deadline is not far away. Are you considering making a 2022 IRA contribution? Time is quickly running out. Here...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: My daughter had two employers during 2022. The first employer offered a matching 401(k) plan in which she enrolled. The second employer (her current employer) offers...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Spring break. Warm breezes and ocean waves and fancy cocktails are top of mind. The aroma of coconut suntan lotion entwined with barbecue smoke floats on salty air. And when morning light...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport We continue to get questions about the ability of employees to withdraw from 401(k) plans while still working. The tax code includes certain restrictions on these in-service withdrawals. Plans must...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Hi, I’m looking forward to the July workshop in Boston but hoping you can help with this question now. What happens if an account holder who is over age 59 ½ does a...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Tax season is in full swing. That means that the 2022 tax-filing deadline is not far away. Are you considering making a 2022 IRA contribution? Time is quickly running out. Here...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport People on TikTok create investment advice videos? And I’m supposed to trust whatever this talking head is telling me? No chance. Of course, the person on TikTok could hold a number of higher...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Hello, I have an inherited IRA which falls under the 10-year rule. I understand that the IRS has tried to clear up the 10-year RMD (required minimum distribution) confusion but I am still...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Considering that it made 92 new IRA and retirement plan changes and is 357 pages long, it’s not surprising that the new SECURE 2.0 law has several unintended drafting errors and lots of unresolved...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport If you want to leave your IRA to an adult, you simply name that person on the IRA beneficiary form. Unfortunately, when it comes to minors, it is not that easy. When a minor...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Can an Education Savings Account (ESA) be rolled into a Roth IRA under the recently enacted SECURE 2.0? 529 plans clearly can - beginning in 2024 - but I have found no reference to...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Last week the Ed Slott team hosted another highly successful and sold-out 2-day advisor training program at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Over 250 financial professionals from across the...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The new SECURE 2.0 law fixes a glitch that has made it difficult for new solo 401(k) plans to be opened up retroactively for a prior year. A solo 401(k) plan is a great retirement savings vehicle for...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: I am interested in your interpretation of the RMD (required minimum distribution) rules using the following facts: Original IRA owner’s DOB is 1/21/29 Original IRA...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport SECURE 2.0 is a mammoth piece of legislation that contains over 90 provisions that affect retirement accounts. While many of these provisions are not game changers, they still...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport By now, most are aware the SECURE Act created a new class of beneficiaries called “eligible designated beneficiaries” (EDBs). This group includes surviving spouses, minor children of the...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Hi, Thank you for all the helpful insight on retirement. I wish I heard about your website earlier. I turned 72 last year and followed your advice on QCDs (qualified charitable...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport How much can you contribute when you’re in two different retirement plans at the same time or at different times in the same year (e.g., after changing jobs)? The answer is complicated because...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Tax season is upon us. This is the time when you might be thinking about contributing to a retirement account. You may be interested in the Roth IRA, which offers the promise...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport QUESTION: I just inherited my spouse’s inherited IRA (he got it from his father). He (my husband) was already taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) based on his own single life...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport When IRA or retirement plan assets are withdrawn prior to age 59 ½, an early distribution penalty of 10% applies - in addition to any taxes owed on the distribution. However, there are...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Up to now, employer contributions to 401(k) (and other plans) had to be made to pre-tax accounts. One of the SECURE 2.0 changes already in effect allows employer contributions to be made to Roth...

By Sarah Brenner, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The SECURE Act changed the game for inherited IRAs. For most beneficiaries, the stretch IRA is gone and has been replaced by the 10-year payout rule. However, the SECURE Act carved out some rules...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: If a person turned 72 in 2022, and died before starting her traditional IRA RMDs (required minimum distributions), must her three children take an RMD (based on their ages) in 2022 and for...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The SECURE 2.0 Act, enacted into law on December 29, 2022, makes over 90 changes to the IRA and employer plan tax rules. If that isn’t enough, many of these provisions aren’t immediately effective and...

By Sarah Brenner, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport SECURE 2.0 is now the law of the land and one thing is very clear. Roth-O-Mania is here! In their quest for more revenue, Congress has created more options to save with Roth accounts. These...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Hello Ed, I have a question concerning Secure 2.0 pertaining to transferring “leftover” 529 plan account balances into a Roth IRA, beginning 2024. If I have no income in 2024, can I...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport If a person has a Traditional IRA and is of the age when lifetime required minimum distributions (RMDs) apply, then that person must withdraw a portion of that account annually. The amount to...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport We’re getting a lot of questions about the SECURE 2.0 provision allowing tax-free rollovers from 529 plans to Roth IRAs. Although this new rollover opportunity sounds exciting, there are a number of...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: I am confused regarding the requirements for making a qualified charitable distribution. Is it necessary for the donation to be sent directly from the financial...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport One of the provisions of the recently passed SECURE 2.0 that has gotten the most attentions is the one that allows some retirement account owners to delay their required...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport SECURE 2.0 includes a number of new ways a person under the age of 59 ½ can access retirement account dollars while avoiding the 10% penalty. Historically, there have been more than a dozen...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: On reading your SECURE 2.0 information, a revised RMD (required minimum distribution) to age 73 was mentioned. Prior to this new legislation, 72 was the RMD age. If this is in effect now in...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport In our December 28 and January 2 Slott Report articles, we focused mostly on the provisions of the new SECURE 2.0 law that apply to IRAs. But many of the law’s changes are directed towards workplace...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The year 2023 has arrived. It is a new year, and we have new rules for retirement accounts thanks to SECURE 2.0 which Congress passed in the waning days of last year. SECURE...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport QUESTION: I have an inherited IRA from my father. He was born 9-27-1927 and died 7-19-2019 at age 91. I was born 12-13-1952 and my age is 70. Two on-line calculators offered by...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Each day we receive dozens of retirement-related questions from advisor members of the Ed Slott Elite IRA Advisor Group. Conversations range from incredibly complex to obscure to, “I just need...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport This holiday season Congress has given us SECURE 2.0. With no time to spare to avoid a government shutdown, they passed the $1.7 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act of...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Ed, I started reading your newsletter and I wondered what you thought of  IRS Notice 2022-53. It made sense to me to the point where it said that "the beneficiary of...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport As you may have read, Congress is considering passage of a $1.65 trillion spending bill that contains a number of retirement savings plan provisions. As of this morning (December 21), the bill has not...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport A repair man is currently fixing the sliding glass door on the back of my house. The track is worn and the rollers need replacing. No small task. The doors weigh a ton, you need one of those...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Do adult children who inherited a parent’s Roth IRA in 2020 need to take an RMD each year during the 10-year payout rule or may they leave it alone and deplete the account at the end of the...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The year 2022 is coming to a close. The holidays season is upon us. That means that the clock is ticking on year-end IRA deadlines. Be sure to get the following four...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The IRS has announced the retirement contribution limits for 2023. Because many of these limits are tied to inflation, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some of the limits had a big jump. Here’s a...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport QUESTION: Hello Mr. Slott, I have been doing Roth conversions this year from two small accounts (one a rollover IRA, the other a SEP-IRA) to consolidate into fewer accounts. The small SEP-IRA...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport At this time of year, financial articles typically cover festive topics with creative holiday metaphors. “Stuff Your Stocking with These Year-End Retirement Tips” or, “Stay Off Santa’s Naughty...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport If you have an IRA, you should know that the funds that are in the account can’t stay there forever. The rules say that you must begin to take required minimum distributions...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Hi, I have read with interest, Ian Berger's article titled "IRS Waives 50% Penalty for Missed 2021 and 2022 RMDs within the 10-Year Period." I am glad that this is...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport As you’ve probably heard, the IRS has announced the IRA and workplace plan contribution limits for 2023. Because most of those limits are tied to inflation, many increased substantially. Among the big...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport It is a Thanksgiving tradition here at the Slott Report to take a moment to give thanks for the IRA rules that are helpful to retirement savers. We know there are many times...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport A solo 401(k) plan is a great retirement savings vehicle for self-employed business owners with no employees (other than their spouse). But if you’re considering a new solo 401(k), be aware that...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Hello!  I need clarification regarding RMD statements for customers who hold inherited IRAs or inherited Roth IRAs. I have not been able to find a clear answer to the following...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst The goal of the net unrealized appreciation (NUA) tax strategy is to enable a person to pay taxes on the appreciation of company stock formerly in a work plan at long term capital gain rates as opposed to ordinary income rates. The...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The holidays are right around the corner, and 2022 is drawing to a close. The end of the year is always a busy time with retirement account deadlines and preparations for the...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Good morning, I have a client who took out $100K from his SEP IRA and put the funds back in on 8/19/22 -- within 60 days from the distribution. The client has now...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport As we’ve reported, the IRS recently said it would waive the 50% penalty on RMDs missed in 2021 and 2022 for IRA beneficiaries subject to the 10-year payout rule who inherited in 2020 or 2021. These...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Not every IRA transaction is easily identifiable. Some require a little legwork to reveal or report what occurred. Some transactions are not even labeled on official IRS tax forms and can go...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport When it comes to IRAs and workplace plans, the concept of the “required  beginning date” (RBD) is a “really big deal” again. The RBD is the first date you’re required to start required minimum...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: I am 72 and want to start RMDs. I have multiple accounts from teaching jobs that I had many years ago, plus a couple of traditional IRAs and a 401(k) with my current employer. Can I total...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Roth IRAs offer a trade-off where you pay taxes now on your contribution (or conversion) in exchange for tax-free earnings later. Don’t miss out on tax-free Roth IRA...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Fall is in full swing now with football, foliage, and pumpkin spice everything. The holiday season is just around the corner. Before we know it, the year 2022 will come to an...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport QUESTION: Iturn 72 next month.  Can I take part of my RMD this year and the balance before April of next year? Howard ANSWER: Howard, Happy early birthday! Since you turn 72 this year, 2022 is...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The Ed Slott team hosted a highly successful training program for members of Ed Slott's Elite IRA Advisor Group℠ and Ed Slott's Master Elite Advisor Group℠ last week in Las Vegas. Over 300...