IRAs

When Must You Take Your First Required Minimum Distribution?

If you have an IRA, you probably are aware that when you reach retirement, there are rules requiring annual distributions. You may have questions as to when these distributions must begin. The rules can be confusing! Here is what you need to know about when you must start taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from your IRA.

Required Minimum Distributions and the Roth Recharacterization Issue

When you have an IRA required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year, you generally use the prior year-end IRA account balance to calculate the RMD. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule and Roth recharacterizations are one of them. We provide an example that illustrates why not knowing the RMD rules can be very costly.

Will QCDs Be Available for 2015?

In the past few weeks, there has been upheaval in Congress. With the retirement of House Speaker, John Boehner, the Republicans in the House of Representatives are struggling to elect and unite behind a new Speaker of the House. This turmoil has far-reaching consequences as Congress has a packed legislative agenda and the end of 2015 is rapidly approaching. If you are an IRA owner considering a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) for 2015, Congress' disorder has implications for you.

Why You SHOULDN’T Leave Your Roth IRA to Charity

As part of your estate plan, you may be considering leaving some of your assets to a charity. This is a fairly common part of many estate plans, and is often shaped by one’s experiences during life. Certainly, leaving money to a charitable organization as part of your last request is commendable no matter how you decide to go about doing so. That said, if you’re going to do it, you should do it wisely.

Ruling to Remember: The Funds Are Still Taxable to You

This month's Ruling to Remember examines the case of a former plan administrator with the United Public Workers (UPW) Mutual Aid Trust Fund who was convicted of multiple crimes and used funds in a rollover IRA to pay the fine and restitution. What comes next is several judgments and disagreement over tax liability.

Important October IRA Deadlines

There are two important dates in October, the 15th and the 31st. Read on to learn more about these deadlines and dates to put on your calendar.

10 Things You Should Know About the 10% Early Distribution Penalty and IRAs

IRAs are designed to be used for retirement savings. Ideally, to maximize the benefits of these accounts, you should not touch these funds before reaching retirement age. However, in the real world, you may need money and consider tapping your IRA earlier. If you do, you should be aware of the 10% early distribution penalty. This penalty is assessed on early distributions from IRAs, in addition to any taxes you may owe. Here are ten things you should know about the 10% early distribution penalty and IRAs.

September’s Top 10 Retirement Facts and Figures

We are beginning a new monthly feature - a content creation stream of each month's best retirement and retirement planning facts and figures. Before each fact, you’ll find my own brief commentary, and after each fact, you’ll find the original article from which the fact was pulled should you be interested in further reading.

Converting to an Inherited Roth IRA

A question we are frequently asked is, "can I convert my inherited retirement plan funds to an inherited Roth IRA?" The answer is no – and yes. The explain when you can and when you can't in today's article.

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