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This week's Slott Report Mailbag looks at the logistics of naming a trust as IRA beneficiary for minor children and strikes down a common mistake made by employer plans when dealing with employer plan distributions rolled over to an IRA.

Handling the estate and IRA issues of parents after their death is a difficult undertaking, especially when it is done during the normal grieving process. We examine a recent article on this issue, and we look at Ed Slott's recent Financial Planning column on a major IRA pitfall to avoid.

When you encounter tough economic times, you may be tempted to tap your retirement plan. If you are considering this, you will want to proceed carefully. If you are under age 59 ½, any distributions you take may be taxable and also subject to the 10% early distribution penalty. Whether or not there is an exception to the penalty for financial hardship is a common misconception.

This week's Slott Report Mailbag, coming to you live from our 2-Day IRA Workshop in Philadelphia, contains questions from consumers screaming (sometimes literally) for help! In several cases, the issues involve the magic age of 59 1/2 and cover a variety of topics, including life insurance issues, 72(t) payments with a divorce and the Roth IRA 5-year rules.

“If I roll my 401(k) money to an IRA, how safe will it be from creditors?” This is one of the most common – and in some cases, important – questions people have when they are considering moving their 401(k) money to an IRA. Unfortunately, there’s not just one simple answer.

Everyone thinks they know what a rollover is, but do they really? A rollover is when you move retirement funds from one account to another. Well, that is partially right. We examine the true definition of a rollover in the employer plan and IRA worlds.

This week's Slott Report Mailbag answers a few inquisitive readers on what to do if you just found out you aren't eligible to make a Roth conversion or contribution in a given year and if you can name a trust as an IRA beneficiary.

Retirement accounts are already powerful savings vehicles. If Hillary Clinton becomes President, these floated tax plans paint a beneficial picture for your retirement account.

Beginning in 2015, individuals are only allowed to do one 60-day rollover in a year. A 60-day rollover is when a distribution is issued payable to the account owner. They can cash the check or they can spend funds that were deposited into a bank or other type of account. In this article, we asses 5 exceptions to the one-per-year 60-day IRA rollover rule and provide three examples.

You have contributed to your IRA for years. You have made wise and thoughtful investments. Maybe you have rolled over funds to your IRA from your company plan. You may now have a significant balance. So far, you have taken smart steps toward a secure future. Don’t stop your careful planning there. It is time to ask yourself an important question, “Who will inherit my IRA?”