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It turns out the Grinch stirs up a blizzard of trouble beyond stealing Christmas trees and presents from the innocent Whos down in Whoville. That candy cane he slipped out of Cindy Lou’s fingers? Child’s play. The breadcrumb he stole from the hungry Who mouse? Just the tip of his naughty iceberg of misdeeds and bad retirement advice.He’s an account-churning, RMD-avoiding, tax-scheming thief!An excess-contributing, high-pressure selling, rollover cheat!Oh, you ARE a mean one, Mr. Grinch.In an effort to protect the other Whos in Whoville, we share the top 3 most foul Grinch-recommended year-end IRA strategies that unequivocally, unmistakably and inevitably will NOT work:

Good morning! I am hoping you can provide some direction for an issue we have encountered.In December of 2016, we changed our broker-dealer. A particular client had not completed the transfer paperwork and had to mail a check to the IRA custodian directly for their 2016 contribution. The client had mailed the check prior to April 18, 2017, which was the deadline for the 2016 IRA contribution. The check was dated for 04/18/2017. The custodian has incorrectly coded the check for the current year (2017), and it should have been for prior year 2016. The custodian is not allowing the coding to be corrected, which the client is stating they are now subject to fines. Is there a way this client can dispute this issue, or can you please offer any advice? Thank you!

Twenty-six states have adopted revocation-on-divorce statutes similar to each other, and these statutes are impacting court decisions.

If you are thinking about doing a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) for 2018, time is running out. The deadline is December 31, 2018. Many people are missing out on this valuable tax break.

Thanksgiving is only a few days away. This is a time when we gather together and express our gratitude for all the good things in our lives. When it comes to our retirement accounts, we too often complain about the negatives, such as the restrictions that are not logical and the complicated and confusing rules.

There is a 131-page bill currently working its way through the U.S. legislature. The proposal would amend the Internal Revenue Code and encourage retirement savings. While the “Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act of 2018,” or RESA, still needs to make it through Congress – potentially before year end – it has strong tailwinds.

Question:Dear Ed Slott team members,Would you please address the following scenario.You bought stock in an IRA for a $1000. Ten years later, it has appreciated to $10,000. If the stock was not in an IRA, you would owe capital gains tax on the gain of $9,000.

Assisting business owners with the establishment of a new 401K plan brings a multitude of questions. From plan design to investment options to employee education, everything is in play.

Most defined contribution company retirement plans are going to consist of at least two components: the contributions the employer makes to the plan and the deferrals from salary the employee makes into the plan.

Like other accounts, distributions from IRAs of basis comes out tax-free. In this setting, basis would include both nondeductible IRA contributions and after-tax funds rolled over from company plans.