inherited IRA

IRA Contributions After Death

The general rule for making IRA contributions after an individual dies is that you can’t. However, as is the case with many of the IRA rules, there is an exception. We explain below.

Inherited IRA: When Do You Own It?

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?"

Slott Report Mailbag: Can I Convert IRA Funds to a Roth IRA as a Beneficiary?

Retirement planning is about time...and it sure does fly. Maximizing your time and planning early (while thinking about how to minimize risk later in life) is quintessential to any successful plan. This week's Slott Report Mailbag examines ages (particularly ages 59 1/2 and age 70 1/2) as they relate to retirement planning.

Slott Report Mailbag: Can An Employer Have Both a SEP IRA and SIMPLE IRA Plan For Their Employees?

The Slott Report Mailbag is back with three consumer questions that run the gambit of IRA-distribution and retirement planning. Can you use an IRA as security for a loan? How do you handle inherited IRAs for you and your wife? Can an employer have both a SEP and a SIMPLE plan for their employees? You have come to the right place for the answers.

You Can’t Make IRA Contributions For a Deceased Person

You can’t make a traditional or Roth IRA contribution for someone who is dead. The issue comes up when someone dies, for example your spouse, and you want to make an IRA contribution for your now deceased spouse. You figure that because he/she was eligible to make the contribution when he/she was alive, you will just make it for him. You will file a joint federal income tax return for the year, and maybe even claim a tax deduction for the IRA contribution you made for your deceased spouse. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to do that.

Inherited IRAs Are Not Tax-Free Inheritances

In a recent case, a non-spouse beneficiary learned that an inherited IRA is taxable and is not treated as a tax-free “inheritance.” He received a total distribution from his deceased Mom’s IRA and thought that the IRA was an inheritance and not taxable. Accordingly, he never even filed a tax return to show the withdrawal. He was wrong on both points and had to pay the back taxes plus IRS penalties for not filing his return.

Health Care Taxes, NUA, Inherited IRAs and RMDs Highlight Mailbag

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.

Content Citation Guidelines

Below is the required verbiage that must be added to any re-branded piece from Ed Slott and Company, LLC or IRA Help, LLC. The verbiage must be used any time you take text from a piece and put it onto your own letterhead, within your newsletter, on your website, etc. Verbiage varies based on where you’re taking the content from.

Please be advised that prior to distributing re-branded content, you must send a proof to [email protected] for approval.

For white papers/other outflow pieces:

Copyright © [year of publication], [Ed Slott and Company, LLC or IRA Help, LLC – depending on what it says on the original piece] Reprinted with permission [Ed Slott and Company, LLC or IRA Help, LLC – depending on what it says on the original piece] takes no responsibility for the current accuracy of this information.

For charts:

Copyright © [year of publication], Ed Slott and Company, LLC Reprinted with permission Ed Slott and Company, LLC takes no responsibility for the current accuracy of this information.

For Slott Report articles:

Copyright © [year of article], Ed Slott and Company, LLC Reprinted from The Slott Report, [insert date of article], with permission. [Insert article URL] Ed Slott and Company, LLC takes no responsibility for the current accuracy of this article.

Please contact Matt Smith at [email protected] or (516) 536-8282 with any questions.