Consider a typical scenario. There is a married couple, Peggy and Tom, and both have their own revocable trust. They also each have their own retirement accounts. It is frequently recommended that individuals name a trust as the beneficiary of their retirement accounts. We will assume that it is necessary for Peggy and Tom to do this. Whose trust should they name as the beneficiary?
With the Roth recharacterization deadline approaching (October 15), this week's Slott Report Mailbag answers a great question about the 30-day waiting period on reconverting funds after a recharacterization and further clarifies a reader's question on utilizing the stretch IRA.
You opened your IRA account 20 years ago and named your spouse as the beneficiary of your IRA. Life has been good for the last 20 years, and you are still married to that same spouse and that same financial institution is still on the corner. But should you still have the same beneficiary form? A lot has changed in 20 years. You've updated your wardrobe and car. And you probably need to update your beneficiary form.
Are you named as a beneficiary on an IRA? It probably is not your intention to have a large portion of that inherited IRA go to taxes. How can you avoid this unfortunate outcome and maximize your IRA tax advantages? What is the most important thing you need to know as an IRA beneficiary?
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 looks at the logistics of naming a trust as IRA beneficiary for minor children and strikes down a common mistake made by employer plans when dealing with employer plan distributions rolled over to an IRA.
Handling the estate and IRA issues of parents after their death is a difficult undertaking, especially when it is done during the normal grieving process. We examine a recent article on this issue, and we look at Ed Slott's recent Financial Planning column on a major IRA pitfall to avoid.
This week's Slott Report Mailbag answers a few inquisitive readers on what to do if you just found out you aren't eligible to make a Roth conversion or contribution in a given year and if you can name a trust as an IRA beneficiary.
Can you name someone who lives in a foreign country as a beneficiary of your IRA? What happens when a non-citizen owns or inherits an IRA? We answer these frequently asked questions as the global economy continues to grow.
This week's Slott Report Mailbag, proudly sponsored by GoldCo Precious Metals, looks at lump sum distribution rules for pension plans and the possibility of investing Roth IRA funds in an annuity.
