The Slott Report

This week's Slott Report Mailbag looks into RMDs, Roth IRAs, and "still working" provisions.

Death is inevitable. It comes for us all at one point or another. Some sooner than later, but none are able to escape its grasp. Whenever that time comes, your “stuff,” including your financial assets, generally live on, and are still essentially yours until they are legally transferred to another person or entity. That transference of assets can occur in any number of ways, but often includes a process known as probate.

This week's Slott Report Mailbag looks international beneficiary IRAs, tax free IRA withdrawals, and inherited IRAs.

Question: When is the last day to make a 2016 Roth IRA conversion? Today's Slott Report goes into popular questions and answers you may have for the end of the calendar year.

As 2016 draws to a close, and we get ready to ring in the new year, it’s a great time to look back. Here is a roundup of six of the big stories in the world of retirement accounts for 2016.

This week's Slott Report Mailbag looks into Inherited IRAs, Defined Contribution Profit Sharing Plans, and Roth 401K rollovers.

H – Have your financial institutions send you a copy of the beneficiary information they have on file for you. On more than a few occasions, we’ve seen financial institutions lose copies of beneficiary forms (or in some really egregious cases, destroy them). Asking for this information annually helps ensure that there are no surprises when you’re no longer here. The beneficiary form is the most important document when it comes to your retirement account. Therefore, even though it may seem monotonous to check these forms year after year – especially if you haven’t made any changes – it’s worth the effort.

Take a look at elder care facilities. Go shopping for your “next home” – now. Timing: Many facilities have long waiting lists (up to 5 years). And in addition, usually you can “defer” 3 times. So, buy yourself some time and get the advantage by signing up today. Don’t be surprised if you are asked for a down payment with your waiting list application, it can be up to one month’s rent ($3000-$6000). This down payment would be deducted from your initial rent/expenses or refunded if you decided not to move into the facility. Also, take into consideration rising costs. Consider renting a one-bedroom +den vs. 2-bedroom if your cash-flow is limited. That $500/month difference can be significant when rent increases by 3-5%/year.

This past summer the IRS had good news for those who missed the deadline for a 60-day retirement account rollover. The IRS will allow your late rollover to be accepted if you provide the receiving financial institution with a “self-certification.” The new relief procedure applies to 60-day rollovers from both company plans and IRAs. The IRS even provides a model letter that can be used. Self-certification is an immediate and cost-free fix for a missed rollover deadline. This new tool can potentially save you from taxes, penalties, and even the loss of your retirement savings.

This week's Slott Report Mailbag looks into complications with QCDs, inherited IRAs overseas, and annuity distributions.