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Several critical tax rules will affect financial advisors' earning potential in 2015. You need to be armed with the knowledge to both gain new business and make sure your current clients avoid costly errors. Register today for Ed's webcasts.

New for 2015 – Changes in the Retirement Planning World

2015 has brought several important changes in the retirement planning world. From the once-per-year IRA rollover rule to QLACs and myRAs, IRA Technical Expert Beverly DeVeny highlights the key changes you must be aware of to retain current clients and capture new business in the new year.

Counting Down to the New Year IRA-Style

Today is the last day of 2014 already. That means we’re just hours away from New Year’s Eve parties, talk of resolutions we’re not really going to keep, and perhaps, a bit of the old bubbly. And of course, no New Year’s celebration is complete without a final countdown. So with that in mind, the final 2014 Slott Report article counts down, 10 to 1, to the new year IRA-style.

Year-End RMD Question: Can I Transfer my Traditional IRA RMD to a Roth?

The major Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) announcement pushed off last week's Slott Report Mailbag until this week, and it couldn't come at a better time. With 2014 hanging on by its coattails, year-end retirement planning is nearing its conclusion. In crunch time, advisors and consumers are asking specific questions about taking required minimum distributions (RMDs). It's only fitting that we received two questions on the topic this week.

QCDs for 2014? Yes, They are NOW Available

Congress has passed the “extenders bill” for 2014 (the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014). President Barack Obama will sign the bill into law shortly. This bill revived qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) for 2014 only. The clock is ticking, so find out that this means for QCDs in 2014.

A SEP IRA Does NOT Have to Be Set-up By Year-End

As we approach the end of 2014, we have been telling you about all of the things that you need to do with your retirement accounts before year-end. As if you weren’t busy enough at this time of the year, there are many things that must be done by December 31, 2014 to avoid problems and potential IRS penalties. Setting up a SEP IRA is not one of them.

How to Take Your RMD When Your IRA Holds an Illiquid Asset

What happens if your IRA holds an illiquid asset and you are over age 70 ½? Can you skip the required minimum distribution (RMD)? The answer to that question is, no, you cannot skip the RMD. It is called a required distribution because the distribution is required. Here are three options for satisfying the RMD from the IRA with the illiquid asset.

When Can I Start Taking Distributions From My Roth IRA?

This week's Slott Report Mailbag looks at the Roth IRA 5-year rules and how they apply to an investor who wants to start taking distributions from his Roth IRA. Also, it's year-end, so we look at a popular question involving the process of determining if you have a required minimum distribution (RMD), and if so, how much.