In lieu of today's Slott Report Mailbag, we wanted to share an important study from EBRI on IRAs and Roth IRAs. Ed Slott was contacted and extensively interviewed on the report's findings. Below, we will break down the important numbers as well as Ed's detailed analysis on what it all means in the retirement planning landscape.
IRA valuation is critical when determining your required minimum distributions (RMDs), which are based on the prior year-end fair market value (FMV) of IRA assets. It is also critical for Roth conversions, because the resulting tax bill is based on the FMV of your IRA assets on the date of your conversion. Valuing certain deferred annuities owned inside your IRA can be tricky, though. We explain in more detail below.
Our
Roth Conversion Week detailed many facets of the Roth conversion conversation ("Is a Roth conversion right for me?"), the advantages and disadvantages of conversions into Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k)s and finally, the Top 10 Roth conversion mistakes you should avoid.
We end Roth Conversion Week with a list you never want to be on. Roth conversions are powerful, tax-free retirement vehicles if handled correctly, but if a mistake is made, you may owe a good portion of your hard-earned savings to taxes and penalties. Here's a list of the Top 10 Roth IRA (and conversion) mistakes you must avoid.
This special edition of
The Slott Report Mailbag answers several of the common Roth conversion questions we receive - from the beginning "conversion conversation" to the actual conversion process. Click to read this week's Q&A with our IRA Technical Expert.
You’ve had "the conversion talk" and have decided that a Roth conversion is in your best interest. Now you have a choice ... should you convert your existing 401(k) money to a Roth 401(k) – your plan must have adopted this voluntary feature in order for you to do so – or should you make a conversion to a Roth IRA? While on the surface these two types of accounts are very similar – they both, for example, offer the prospects of tax-free growth and future distributions – there are a number of subtle, and not so subtle, differences that may make one type of conversion far more beneficial for you than the other. With that in mind, here is a summary of some of the most important factors to consider when making this decision:
If you're thinking about converting some or all of your IRAs to a Roth IRA, there are two ways to do it. The two ways are by taking an IRA distribution or by direct transfer. Regardless of which method you choose, it will be treated and reported as a distribution from your IRA and a conversion deposit into your Roth IRA. IRA-to-Roth IRA conversions are taxable to you as ordinary income, but no 10% penalty applies, even if you’re under age 59 ½. Click to learn more about the best way to convert your IRA to a Roth IRA.
A taxpayer we will call "Rebecca" represented that she received a distribution from her IRA on December 4, 2009. It was always her intent to rollover that distribution back into the IRA by the 60-day rollover deadline. She was informed in writing by her financial institution that the redeposit deadline was February 4, 2010 (a date which was actually after the deadline). She followed that procedure and gave her financial advisor a check for the entire rollover amount for redeposit on the specified deadline date (February 4, 2010). Unfortunately, Rebecca's rollover actually happened on day 62.
There are three categories of beneficiaries that might want to stretch distributions from their inherited IRAs. A beneficiary's options will depend on which category they find themselves in. We detail these 3 categories below.
This week's
Slott Report Mailbag includes a couple of detailed questions about the handling of retirement accounts after death. Click to read a Q&A with our IRA Technical Expert.
