The Slott Report

Will Your Will be Challenged by a Beneficiary? Creating an “In Terrorem” Clause in Your Estate Plan

Creating an estate plan can be a very challenging process. For starters, it involves serious contemplation of on'’s death and the resulting aftermath, which can, in and of itself, be an uneasy topic of discussion. In some cases, however, the process can be particularly emotional and technically challenging. Oftentimes this occurs when someone chooses, for one reason or another, to treat children or other similar beneficiaries unequally, perhaps even disinheriting one or more of them.

The Price of Procrastination: What Happens When You Miss the 60-Day IRA Rollover Window

When it comes to moving retirement account money from one IRA (or other eligible retirement account) to another, Congress has given you a couple of options. On one hand, you can have the money sent right from one institution to another. This is known as a trustee-to-trustee transfer, or a direct rollover, and is the preferred way to move money, as it avoids a lot of problems. On the other hand, Congress also allows you to move money indirectly. Click for more information.

IRAs and Wills Don’t Mix

A Will is a legal document under state law where you name a person to manage your estate and divide your property after you die. Property in your estate must pass through “probate”, which is the process under your state’s law of how your estate is administered and who gets your property. Ideally, you should have a Will. If you don’t, then state law will decide who gets your property after you die. That might not be what you want, so it’s better for you to decide who gets what by having your own Will.

Examining What Federal and State Organizations and Entities Are Involved with IRAs

Last Tuesday, Senator Orin Hatch of Utah introduced new IRA-related legislation to the Congressional floor. The purpose of the bill had nothing to do with taxes, as you might first suspect, but rather, was introduced in an effort to strip the Department of Labor (DOL) of some of its power over IRAs. Below we discuss the role of certain federal and state entities play in IRAs.

Contributing to More Than One Retirement Plan for the Year

While many Americans aren't saving enough for retirement, there are others who are saving a lot (true story). In fact, some of you have asked whether it's possible to contribute to more than one retirement plan for the same year. See the answer below.

Who Gets Your IRA?

Do you have a will, a trust, and retirement accounts? Who will get your retirement assets? Let’s say that your will says that everything goes to your spouse, your trust says that everything goes to your children, and the beneficiary form for your IRA says that everything goes to your spouse and your children equally. Who gets your IRA? These answers and more below.