IRS has updated several retirement-related publications. They are now available on the IRS website, www.irs.gov under Forms and Pubs. They will all say that they are updated for 2014 so you can use them in preparing your 2014 federal income tax return. However, they also will have the current contribution limits and other necessary information for this year.
Today, federal estate tax has become a non-issue for all but the wealthiest of American families. As has been the case since the early 1980s, spouses can generally leave an unlimited amount of assets to one another without such a transfer being subject to estate tax. Most transfers to someone other than a spouse also avoid estate tax under current law. But will it stay that way?
When we think of retirement plan rollovers, we usually think about moving money between IRAs, or moving money from a company retirement plan to an IRA on a tax-free basis. For example, if you properly roll over money within 60 days from your IRA to another IRA or from your Roth IRA to another Roth IRA, the rollover is tax-free. Or maybe you retired and rolled over your 401(k) funds to your IRA. That rollover is also tax-free. But there is one type of rollover that is taxable.
We spent the early part of the week looking at both sides of when you should take your RMD (early or late in the year). However, if you waited until the end of the year and then missed taking your RMD, here's how to correct it.
This week's Slott Report Mailbag answers questions on how Roth conversions affect Medicare premiums, how the rules governing IRA rollovers have changed for 2015 and what individuals who converted to Roth IRAs in 2010 are now free to do with the funds.
One of the most common questions that an IRA owner subject to RMDs (required minimum distributions) asks is, "When should I take my RMD? Is it better to take the RMD early in the year? Later in the year?" There’s really no right or wrong answer, but rather, depending on your personal situation, either might make sense. Here are a few factors to consider when making your decision.
The IRS recently released the 2014 version of Form 5329, Additional Taxes on Qualified Plans (Including IRAs) and Other Tax-Favored Accounts. The form, along with the accompanying instructions, is updated each year and is filed by the IRA owner to report certain penalty taxes they may owe with respect to their IRA. What are these tax penalties and how could they affect your account value?
A taxpayer received a distribution from his company retirement plan after separating from service with the intent to make a direct rollover into a Roth IRA. However, things don’t always go by way of the best intentions. The financial institution deposited the distribution into an IRA instead of a Roth IRA. Private Letter Ruling 201452025 got IRS involved.
Private letter ruling (PLR) requests for IRAs are a means for taxpayers to request forgiveness from IRS and to allow them to complete an action that has, for some reason, been derailed. For instance, you can ask IRS to allow you to complete a Roth recharacterization after the deadline has passed or to allow you to complete a 60-day rollover after the 60 days have passed. This all comes with a substantial cost. Here are the facts and figures for 2015.
The power of compounding. It's value over time is illustrated by IRA Technical Expert Jeffrey Levine in this IRAtv video. Jeffrey details the IRA and Roth IRA contribution parameters and looks at how making a contribution early in the year can benefit you over the long term.
