The Slott Report

This week's Slott Report Mailbag looks "superfunding" a 529 college plan and goes a step further on a question answered in last week's mailbag on IRA annuities.

On August 30, 2016 IRS released Announcement 2016-30 that allows for streamlining employer plan loan procedures and liberalizing hardship distribution rules for most employer plans. The following procedures are in effect until January 17, 2017 for victims of the storms and flooding in Louisiana that began on August 11, 2016.

There is good news for everyone with a retirement account. The IRS recently released Revenue Procedure 2016-47, which provides a new and easier way for you to complete a late 60-day rollover of retirement funds using a self-certification procedure. Here are 10 things you should know about this new procedure that just might save your retirement savings.

A holiday weekend version of The Slott Report Mailbag features questions concerning a 1099-R filing error, the possibility of converting an annuity to a Roth IRA and the viability of the often discussed (at least in this space) back-door Roth IRA.

In one fell swoop, the IRS has just saved thousands of IRAs from the harsh bite of needless and accelerated taxation. On Wednesday August 24, 2016, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2016-47, which allows you to complete a late 60-day rollover of retirement funds using a self-certification. Here's what this means for retirement account owners.

In this week's Slott Report Mailbag, we examine SEP IRAs (just like we did yesterday when outlining a major mistake to avoid), their yearly contribution deadlines and how they interact with required minimum distributions (RMDs).

A Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) is an employer sponsored retirement plan where contributions are made to employees’ IRAs. Don’t be fooled by the name! Although these plans are in fact designed to be “simplified” or less complex than other types of retirement plans, there are ways to go wrong and make errors. A seemingly small mistake with a SEP IRA plan can cause big problems.

In order to encourage investments in companies, the tax code provides for the preferential treatment of capital gains (gain on property, such as a stock) if the investment being sold had been held for greater than one year. To illustrate this point, examine the following chart, which summarizes the ordinary income tax rates vs. the long-term capital gains rates that apply at various income levels.

This week's Slott Report Mailbag answers a consumer's question about how much community property rules tie into his and his wife's retirement accounts and works through Tom's brother-in-law's delicate strategy involving pre- and after-tax retirement funds.

In order to make an IRA or Roth IRA contribution, you must have “compensation.” What exactly is the definition of compensation for IRA purposes? This article explains the various forms.