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...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Question: I am going to turn 72 in December of 2021. When I take my RMD, what is the dollar amount I use to calculate my RMD? Is it the account value ending December 31, 2020, or December 31, 2021? Thank you for any clarification....

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst One of the many unfortunate effects of the coronavirus pandemic is the number of folks who have lost their jobs. Besides the loss of income, many of these individuals also face unexpected and unpleasant tax consequences if they have an...