Welcome to this month's installment of Are You an IRA Expert? Always thought you knew more than the next guy about IRAs and retirement accounts? Well now’s your chance to prove it. Below are three questions, ranging from beginner to expert. Test your IRA skills by trying to get all three right!
Even though the 2011 tax season for most of us ended on April 17, 2012, some of us who made a timely IRA contribution for 2011 might have changed our mind on that IRA contribution. Specifically, some individuals who contributed to one type of IRA for last year may now want to change that contribution into a different type of IRA contribution.
We frequently see situations where minors are the intended beneficiaries of IRA accounts or employer plans. It could be that grandparents want to benefit their minor grandchildren or it could be single parents who want to provide for their minor children. No matter what the circumstances, there are some issues when minors inherit retirement assets.
This week's Slott Report Mailbag includes questions on the 10% penalty, using a portion of transferred funds to pay the tax on a Roth conversion and a controversial topic (see question #3 for that). Click to read a Q&A with our IRA Technical Consultant.
We've all heard that half the marriages in the United States end in divorce. An accurate rate of divorce is difficult to get because those statistics are gathered by different groups and are not comprehensive. Regardless, divorce is certainly common. Individuals who have retirement plans almost always will name a beneficiary to receive the funds upon death.
The Wall Street Journal spent a good amount of real estate over the weekend on the Social Security topic, so we felt it only appropriate to share that information with you this Monday morning.
The Slott Report Mailbag was full of questions that will keep us busy through the summer! This week we answered a pressing question on taxes relating to President Obama's Health Care Law, Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA) strategies, inherited IRAs and required minimum distributions.
Ed Slott and Company IRA Technical Consultant Jeffrey Levine details three main 2013 tax and revenue raising provisions to keep your eye on and plan for as summer flies by (we are nearly three-fourths of the way through the calendar year!) One of those provisions is a surtax on net investment income brought on by President Obama's health care law.
Employer retirement plans such as 401(k)s and SIMPLE IRA plans offer a matching contribution to employees who choose to contribute. These plans provide that your employer will match some portion of the amount you contribute to your retirement account.
Ed Slott, named “The Best Source for IRA Advice” by The Wall Street Journal, is now a featured blogger for the national website, www.RetireUSA.net and its popular blog (http://retireusa.net/blog). Based in Ashland, Oregon and launched earlier this year, the fast-growing website and blog were created to serve the needs of 79 million baby-boomers exploring ways to live a successful retirement.
