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It is December. The halls are decked, and Starbucks holiday cups are everywhere. The end of the year is not far away. That means the deadline is near for taking a required minimum distribution (RMD). Here is what you need to know if you have your own IRA or if you are an IRA beneficiary.

If the Grinch and Bad Santa both passed their FINRA Series 7 exam and decided to open an investment advisory firm, I’m pretty sure they would combine forces to intentionally deliver some of the WORST financial advice possible. Here are some of their truly terrible, hideously horrible, good-for-nothing planning ideas:

Thanksgiving is almost here! This is a time for us to gather together and express our gratitude for all the good things in our lives. When it comes to our retirement accounts, we frequently complain about the negatives, such as the many IRA rules that are way too complicated and confusing.

Year-end to-do lists are commonplace. The problem is, they always seem to get published in mid-to-late December. I can almost hear the collective “thanks for nothing” comment from readers as the information arrives too late to act upon. As we are still before Thanksgiving, here are a few year-end items to consider…before it really is too late.

Remember coronavirus-related distributions, or “CRDs”? Passed as part of the CARES Act in March 2020, CRDs were special distributions designed to help people who contracted COVID or had financial hardship caused by the pandemic. IRA owners or company plan participants who qualified as “affected individuals” could take CRDs of up to a total of $100,000 anytime during 2020.

You may have noticed grocery stores stocking up for Thanksgiving, and festive lights and displays going up everywhere. Yes, it is the holiday season, but it is also the season to take required minimum distributions (RMDs). One question we have been getting a lot this year involves RMDs when IRA investments are not liquid.

Question: In 2020 and 2021, when I was over 65 years old, I converted some of my IRA into a Roth IRA. Does the five-year rule still apply to me, or can I now draw out all of the Roth IRA without any tax consequences?

An advisor called and said his 75-year-old client had just passed away. He had questions about the payout rules applicable to the three IRAs the client left behind: a traditional IRA, a Roth IRA, and an inherited IRA from his sister. I asked who the beneficiaries were.

Of the 92 provisions in the SECURE 2.0 legislation, signed into law last December, by far the most challenging is section 327. Section 327 changes the distribution rules for spouse beneficiaries of IRA (and workplace plan) account holders and is effective January 1, 2024.

Question: Dear Mr. Slott, I made $40,000 additional non-deductible (after taxes) contributions to my IRA many years ago. I have filed IRS Form 8606 every year informing the IRS of the contributions. I would like to withdraw the $40,000 this year so that when I have to take my RMDs next year, the reporting to the IRS will be simpler.