Site search

Question:Starting in 2024, if you have a 529 plan you can potentially roll it into a Roth IRA if certain requirements are met. Could the 529 plan also go into a Roth employer plan?Thank you.

In 2024, more Americans than ever before will reach age 65. By this summer, 12,000 baby boomers will celebrate their 65th birthday each day. This demographic milestone has been called “Peak 65.” If you are in this group, what does Peak 65 mean for your IRA?

We hear it all the time. “If your income is too high for a direct Roth IRA contribution, just do a Backdoor Roth. Easy-peasy!”Not so fast, my friend. A Backdoor Roth IRA transaction is like a musclebound hotel bellhop – it can carry a lot of baggage. However, before we can discuss said baggage…

QUESTION:If the grandkids who inherited an IRA are under the age of majority, when does the 10-year rule for emptying the account begin? At the death of the IRA owner, or when they reach the age of majority?Thanks,

On December 20, the IRS gave us the holiday gift of some guidance on a few provisions from the SECURE 2.0 Act. Notice 2024-02 is in a question-and-answer format and provides much needed clarification on SECURE 2.0 provisions, some of which are already in effect, and others which will come online in just a few short days in 2024.

Question:I have a traditional IRA with a portion being nondeductible contributions. The last nondeductible contribution I made was in 2009. and I have my Form 8606 showing the basis. I want to convert a portion of my traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Can I convert all of the nondeductible amount plus some of the before-tax contributions to a Roth IRA? I have never taken any distributions from my traditional IRA. I'm 52 years old.Thanks,Jeff

Thinking of opening up a new solo 401(k) plan for 2023? Thanks to SECURE 2.0, you don’t have to rush to get it done by year end.A solo 401(k) is an excellent retirement savings vehicle for self-employed business owners with no employees (other than their spouse). That’s because the IRS says that a business owner with a solo (k) actually wears two hats – one as an employee and one as an employer. As an employee, he can make elective deferrals up to $22,500 for 2023, or $30,000 if age 50 or older.

Question:My sister inherited an IRA from our mother (age 95 and died in 2019.) My sister took her RMDs (required minimum distributions) from this inherited account over her life expectancy. My sister died in 2021, leaving me as her beneficiary of this inherited IRA. My sister had already taken her 2021 RMD before her death. Not knowing, I took an RMD in 2022 by just dividing her 12/31/21 value by 10. Now I am uncertain what to do for my RMD in 2023. What schedule do I use now for the RMD in 2023? Also, does the account need to be depleted by the end of 2031 or 2032?

If you are charitably inclined and have an IRA, you might want to consider doing a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) for 2023. The deadline for a 2023 QCD is fast approaching. It is December 31, 2023, but many custodians have even earlier cutoffs. Don’t miss out on this valuable tax break. Here is what you need to know.

The investment advisory firm of Bad Santa & the Grinch continues to disseminate misinformation and lousy, no good, rotten-to-the-core IRA advice. As we saw in “Bad Santa & The Grinch Offer Horrible IRA Advice – Part 1” (Slott Report, November 29), these two unsavory characters take great joy in fouling up not only your holiday, but also the qualified status of IRAs. Here are more fish bones, brown banana peels, coffee grinds and raccoon meals from their dented trash can of “IRA assistance.”