InvestmentNews

Funds held in individual retirement accounts are without question the best assets to give to charity.Since IRAs are loaded with taxes, why not help clients relieve that tax burden by using the IRA for charitable giving now? Show clients who regularly give to charity how to use their IRA for those gifts

As the end of the year approaches, here's a round-up of the best retirement tax planning ideas for 2021.

This week’s episode kicks off with tax management guru Ed Slott giving advisers some solid year-end tax strategies to employ, regardless of where the Biden tax hikes end up.For his second guest, Jeff talks with David DeVoe about the pace of record-setting consolidation in the wealth management space

This week’s episode kicks off with tax management guru Ed Slott giving advisers some solid year-end tax strategies to employ, regardless of where the Biden tax hikes end up.For his second guest, Jeff talks with David DeVoe about the pace of record-setting consolidation in the wealth management space

As we’ve seen from recent tax proposals, Congress has retirement accounts in its sights for future tax increases, especially the larger IRAs. We know what the tax rules and tax rates are for 2021, but advisers can also help clients make some defensive moves now, just in case any of these IRA tax proposals resurface in future years.

Advisers with clients who have large IRAs should be aware of congressional proposals targeting mega-IRAs — those holding more than $10 million — including a proposal for a mandatory 50% RMD of the amount over $10 million, Ed Slott says.

Congress has set its sights on mega-IRA balances, in large part due to the recent reports about Peter Thiel’s $5 billion Roth IRA. But some of these proposals will impact many other clients with smaller individual retirement accounts and Roth IRAs.

Imagine spending a lifetime building a retirement account only to have your beneficiaries lose it in one fell swoop: They mishandle the account, triggering tax on the entire inherited individual retirement account.

2021 is the last year your clients can use their retirement funds for unlimited charitable giving as a result of provisions in recent tax laws.

Any IRA owner turning age 72 this year will have a required minimum distribution due for 2021, but the due date for taking that RMD will depend on the half of the year in which they were born. June 30 is the cut-off date when the transition to the SECURE Act age 72 RMD rule becomes complete.The SECURE Act raised the RMD age for owners of individual retirement account owners and certain retirement plan participants from 70½ to 72, but only for those who turned 70½ in 2020 or later.