The Slott Report

Wills have been around for a long time. The oldest known will was found in a tomb in Egypt and dates to 2548 BC. It doesn't matter if you are young, old, or in-between; if you own property - you need a will.

This week's Slott Report Mailbag includes questions on some of our most-discussed topics, including 60-Day IRA Rollovers and the Roth IRA 5-year rules for distributions. These are delicate areas filled with penalty traps, so make sure you use the answers below as a guide and contact a competent, educated financial advisor to steer you around the landmines of taxes and penalties.

Wait a minute? Isn’t the deadline for making an IRA or Roth IRA contribution the tax filing deadline, not including extensions? You bet your bottom dollar it is! Then how, you might ask, can you possibly make a 2011 IRA contribution on May 9, 2012 – well after the general filing deadline of April 17, 2012? We'll tell you!

We have previously written about a "lack of financial literacy," indicating that many individuals don't know or understand the benefits of IRAs or saving for retirement. Help set up your children and grandchildren for a successful financial future!

Many IRA owners do not realize that they can only do one IRA-to-IRA or Roth-to-Roth rollover, per IRA or Roth IRA account, per year. If you have more than one IRA or Roth account, you can do one rollover from each account. So you could do five rollovers when you have five IRAs. If you do a rollover on April 20th, you cannot do another rollover from that account until the next April 20th.

This week's Slott Report Mailbag includes questions (and our answers) on the income requirements for a Roth IRA contribution, SEP IRAs and governmental 457(b) plans. As always, we stress the importance of working with a competent, educated financial advisor to keep your retirement nest egg safe and secure. Find one in your area at this link.1.

Is a monthly retirement check considered income in order to open a Roth IRA? 


Answer:An IRA contribution must be based on the taxable compensation of the individual for the year of the contribution. Pension, profit sharing or IRA distributions are not considered compensation for the purpose of a contribution to an IRA.

Can you believe that we are already in May? And in 2012 no less? In the spirit, somehow fast forwarding into the future and being in May of 2012, here are 12 things you may not do with your retirement account.1) You may not convert or rollover a required minimum distribution (RMD). A year’s RMD must be taken prior to making any such transaction.2) You may not claim “hardship” as an exception to the 10% early distribution penalty. No such exception exists!!3) You may not name your estate as your IRA beneficiary if you want your beneficiaries to stretch your IRA. 4) You may not make a Roth contribution for 2012 if your income is above certain thresholds. Click here to see those thresholds.5) You

Tax-saving strategies should be on the tip of every financial advisor's tongue throughout 2012. In this video roundtable, we discuss life insurance, annuities (more specifically QLACs), Roth IRA conversions as well as higher taxes (namely the 2013 health care surtax) coming in 2013.  Share this video with your clients, your friends and your family so they know what tax-saving strategies to implement and what tax laws to keep an eye on this year.2014 Retirement Guide Helps You

An IRA rollover is when you take money out of your IRA or Roth IRA and the distribution is payable to you. You can put the funds in your bank account, spend them, invest them, do anything you want with them. Then, within 60 days, you can put all or part of the amount distributed back into your IRA or Roth IRA. There will be no tax or penalty on this transaction.But how do you know when the 60 days are up? You do NOT start counting from the date you request the distribution, the date on the check, or the date the funds left the IRA account. You start counting on the date you receive the funds if they are mailed,

This week's Slott Report Mailbag answers questions about spousal beneficiaries, inherited IRAs and keeping the Stretch IRA provision (biggest benefit in the tax code!) for your heirs and required minimum distributions.  As always, we stress the importance of working with a competent, educated financial advisor to keep your retirement nest egg safe and secure. Find one in your area at this link.1.Ed:I have your book, but unfortunately it is at my cabin so I don't have access right now. I am inheriting a Roth IRA from my wife, who recently passed away at 65. It was converted to a Roth in December 2008. First question: Is it better to keep it as a separate Roth IRA, or add it into my existing Roth IRA?