In late 2009 IRS started a project on rollovers as business start-ups (ROBS). This is a strategy that has been heavily marketed by several companies and targets individuals that want to finance business ventures using their retirement funds. They are directed to establish a self-directed IRA, a corporation, and a 401(k) plan for the corporation. The plan allows participants to roll in IRA funds.
An interesting question came up recently that went something like this… Mom died with two IRAs. She had two children, who we will call Deborah and Edward. The beneficiary of one of her IRAs was her children, 50% each. The beneficiary of the other IRA was a trust for the benefit of her children. Each child was a 50% beneficiary of the trust. Click to read more about this complicated scenario.
Summer is almost here, as the unofficial start to the summer season begins with Memorial Day weekend. To celebrate, we open some IRA, tax and retirement planning mail and answer several of your most pressing questions. This week's Slott Report Mailbag looks at some intricate IRA issues along with a question about the provisions in the new tax law.
Two individuals wanted to purchase a business together. They set up self-directed IRAs and a corporation to hold the business. The self-directed IRAs purchased the shares of the new company, which then purchased an ongoing business. The purchase of the business was partly funded with loans that were personally guaranteed by the two individuals.
If you inherit the IRA of an individual who has a required distribution for the year, you – as the beneficiary – must take any remaining required minimum distribution (RMD). Here is a situation that deals with this issue. John and Sue were both 75 years old last year. They both took their RMDs for the year. John died early in December. Sue was his beneficiary. She rolled his IRA into her own IRA in January. The question was – “What is Sue’s RMD for this year?"
A Roth conversion could cost you more in 2013. That's because of several new and/or increased taxes in play for this year. The top income tax bracket is 39.6% for individuals married filing jointly with taxable income in excess of $450,000. A large Roth conversion could easily push an individual into the highest income tax bracket. When adjusted gross income for our married couple exceeds $300,000, personal exemptions and itemized deductions begin to phase out. And, when modified adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000, net investment income for our married couple becomes subject to the 3.8% surtax. So you can see how a Roth conversion could cost an individual more in taxes this year.
For IRA distribution purposes, all IRAs (except Roth IRAs) are considered one big giant IRA. It doesn’t matter if you have one IRA that was rolled over from a former employer, and one SEP IRA with your current employer, and one contributory IRA where you put annual contributions, and one after-tax IRA where you put contributions for which you do not take a deduction. All four IRAs will be considered one IRA any time you take a distribution.
An advisor called recently with this scenario. A 20-something beneficiary, let’s call her Corey, had just inherited several retirement accounts from her 50-something father. Corey was the named beneficiary on each account. Would you have known how to handle each one of them?
We are down to the wire. Tax day is Monday, April 15th and it is coming up quickly. Following are some retirement plan deadlines you don't want to miss!
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