The Slott Report

I am maxing out my 401(k) or I am contributing to a 401(k), can I also make an IRA contribution? We get asked that question a lot. Find the answer below.

This week's Slott Report Mailbag includes an answer to a question on those rules, as well as an inquiry on spousal beneficiary rules and the differences between an IRAs and fixed annuities. Click to read a Q&A with our IRA Technical Expert.

“How is my annuity going to be taxed?” It’s a question that's asked frequently, but one that can have several different answers. That's because an annuity can be taxed differently depending on the type of annuity you are receiving distributions from, as well as the type of the account it's in.

A recent court case highlights how risky it is when a married couple attempts to use a post-nuptial agreement when trying to waive spousal benefits to an employer retirement plan. In the case of Mid-American Pension v. Michael Cox, the court ruled that a surviving wife’s promise to waive her rights to her husband’s 401(k) funds by signing a post-nuptial agreement was invalid because the agreement wasn’t drafted correctly.

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Spousal IRA: what a mouthful! We now have this thanks to a bill that was signed into law on July 25, 2013 that renamed the section of the tax code that specifies the spousal IRA contribution limit. Learn more about this type of IRA below.

A taxpayer we will call "Greg" asserted that his failure to accomplish a prompt rollover of his distributed IRA funds within the prescribed 60-day IRA rollover window was due to the medical condition and death of his mother. Get the full story below.

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.

IRA custodians are allowed to charge fees on IRAs, but the fees must be properly disclosed to you. These fees are required to be spelled out in the disclosure statement portion of the custodian's IRA document that you get when you open the IRA.

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.

A client is leaving his employer. He is over age 55, but not yet age 59 ½, and he will need money from his retirement plan for living expenses. What are his options?