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Question:I attended the two-day event in Washington DC.Is there any news on the attempts in Congress to change the stretch-out?JimAnswer:Hi Jim,It sounds like you are asking about the status of the Setting Every Community Up For Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE Act). This proposed legislation would do away with the stretch IRA for most beneficiaries and replace it with a ten-year payout period.The SECURE Act overwhelmingly passed the House this spring. It is currently being held up in the Senate. There were some reports that it would be passed by the Senate last month, but that turned out not to be the case.We are watching this bill carefully to see if Senators can all come to agreement on it or if it will be brought to the Senate floor. Currently, the holding pattern continues, but there are some who believe action could be taken later this year. Stay tuned.

Question:I am still working at age 71 and don't really need the required minimum distributions (RMDs) from my rollover IRA. The IRA was funded largely with distributions from a tax-qualified pension plan and a tax-qualified 401(k) plan. Some deductible contributions were made many years ago as well. I would like to transfer some of the IRA into my current employer's 401(k) so as to reduce RMDs until I terminate my employment with my current employer. I am not a 5% owner of the company, so I don't currently have to take RMDs from the 401(k).

My son is 14. I make every effort to expose him to a wide array of cultural elements. A variety of music. Plays. History. Food. Movies from the 80’s and 90’s are a significant slice of the “Understanding Social References” pie chart. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Breakfast Club, Shawshank Redemption, Terminator, Sixteen Candles. Currently queued up on the DVR is Top Gun. Goose and Maverick pushing the limits in their F-14 Tomcat fighter jet. Iceman. Jester. “Never leave your wingman.” Kenny Loggins singing “Highway to the Danger Zone.”If a person wants to recklessly fly through the jet wash of the 60-day rollover window and use their IRA funds for some risky pursuit, they better stick close to their advisor wingman. Peril lurks. Engines could flameout.

Retirement accounts are supposed to be for saving for retirement. If you tap your retirement savings before reaching age 59 ½, you run the risk of being hit with the 10% early distribution penalty. However, there are exceptions to this penalty. Some apply just to IRAs and some apply just to employer plans. However, the following six exceptions apply to BOTH distributions from IRAs and employer plans.1. DeathA distribution taken from an inherited retirement account after the death of the owner is never subject to the 10% penalty. It does not matter what the age of the owner was or what the age of the beneficiary is.

Question:Here is the situation. The mother is deceased and the father is in jail. He has two minor kids that need the money out of his traditional IRA. Could all of the money be taken out and considered a hardship distribution to avoid the 10% penalty on the entire account?Answer:Unfortunately, no. There is no such thing as a “hardship distribution” with IRA accounts.A 10% early withdrawal penalty generally applies to IRA withdrawals taken before age 59 ½. But the tax code includes several exceptions to the 10% penalty for withdrawals taken for certain specific reasons. For example, taking a withdrawal to cover the costs of higher education expenses, first time home buying, and health insurance if you are unemployed all qualify for the penalty exception.

Like cassette tapes and slide rules, defined benefit (DB) plans are becoming relics of the past. It’s estimated that 88% of private sector employees with a company plan in 1975 were covered by a DB plan. Today, that number is less than 20%.One reason is the advent of 401(k) plans and other defined contribution plans. Another reason is the decline of the unionized workforce, since DB plans have traditionally been collectively-bargained. Most importantly, DB plans have become increasingly expensive. Congress has tightened the plan funding rules, which has led to higher employer contribution requirements. Also, plan sponsors must employ an actuary and pay premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), a quasi-governmental agency that insures DB plan benefits up to a certain level.

People stumble over themselves all the time. Bad advice is provided, misinformation gets freely disseminated, and sometimes normally smart individuals do less-than-smart things. Stories of good folks fouling up their required minimum distribution are rife. After all, the RMD rules contain a veritable minefield of traps and potential tripping hazards. Based on nothing more than personal experience, anecdotal evidence and conversations with industry insiders, here is a Top 10 list of RMD Goofs, Gaffes and Blunders:10. Rolling over an RMD. RMDs are not eligible to be rolled over. This happens most frequently when company plan assets are rolled over to an IRA. If the RMD is not taken first, you now have an excess contribution in the IRA that needs to be corrected.

Are you questioning that IRA contribution you made for 2018? Maybe you made a Roth IRA contribution and then discovered your income was too high. Maybe you made a traditional IRA contribution but you were ineligible due to your age. You may have made a traditional contribution and just changed your mind. You’d rather contribute to a Roth IRA or maybe not contribute at all. There is good news if you act quickly. You can fix these issues by correcting your 2018 IRA contribution by the upcoming October 15, 2019 deadline.October 15, 2019 DeadlineWhen it comes to the timing for correcting a contribution, the key deadline is October 15 of the year following the year for which the excess contribution is made.

As I write, Hurricane Dorian is pummeling the Bahamas, churning the ocean and producing catastrophic damage. Godspeed, Freeport. Forecasts suggest the storm will sweep north and brush the east coast of Florida, which is where I live. Hurricanes are nothing to trifle with. I have survived them before and know how to prepare. Should the storm bobble west and deliver its winds farther inland, we stand ready to evacuate. Some family members up the coast have already departed. In the interim, we will monitor the news, assess liabilities, implement strategies and act accordingly. That is our plan.

The calendar is turning to September and Starbucks is once again selling pumpkin spice lattes. It’s back to school time! We can all agree that education is expensive. If you have children, you know that you cannot afford to miss out on any possible option out there that may help you save. One savings tool that is frequently overlooked is the Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA).ContributionsYou may establish an ESA with the custodian of your choice and the paperwork you complete is very similar to the paperwork necessary to establish an IRA. Contributions are made to the account to help save for education expenses of a designated beneficiary.