401(k)s and IRAs share a lot of similarities. They are both retirement plans. They both can help you lower your tax bill today, provide tax-deferred growth and can help provide an income source in retirement. That said, there are also many differences between the two types of retirement accounts. Some are relatively insignificant and probably won’t impact your planning or decision-making process, but other differences can make one type of account far superior to the other in your particular situation. With that in mind, we explore 5 things you can do with a 401(k) that you can’t do with an IRA.
There has been a lot of talk, and some new regulations, regarding advice given to plan participants when they have the opportunity to move funds out of their employer plan. Let's use an example to illustrate the options available.
Here's the 10 most amazing, surprising and/or illuminating facts about retirement that I read in January. Before each fact, you will find my own brief commentary, and after each fact, you will find the original article from which the fact was pulled should you be interested in further reading.
This week's Slott Report Mailbag looks at the process of reporting IRA distributions on your tax return - and what happens if you pay too much tax? - answers a question about a woman's rising Medicare Part B premiums and points out the key 401(k) employer plan provision that could allow you to move employer plan funds outside the plan while still a plan participant.
Many recent college graduates, those just starting a full-time job or growing their family don't think long term. They push off a retirement savings plan to handle more pressing financial needs. This story illustrates why saving for retirement IS actually one of those pressing needs.
Did you know that about 70% of those who make it to age 65 will eventually need some kind of long-term care? Here's the complete list of October's Top 10 retirement facts and figures.
We are beginning a new monthly feature - a content creation stream of each month's best retirement and retirement planning facts and figures. Before each fact, you’ll find my own brief commentary, and after each fact, you’ll find the original article from which the fact was pulled should you be interested in further reading.
This week's Slott Report Mailbag answers questions on an IRA beneficiary's tax responsibilities, distribution procedures for employer retirement plans, and tax implications on a Roth IRA beneficiary's distributions.
This week's Slott Report Mailbag includes questions about placing an IRA in a trust, what to do with 401(k) funds from a previous employer and the nuts and bolts of the Roth IRA 5-year rules.
Last week, we published a Special Report on the Back-Door Roth IRA. This week, we explore how a simple 401(k)-to-IRA rollover could dramatically change the tax impact of that transaction. Here’s how.
