For years, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued exemptions that were extraordinarily narrow in scope and very much transaction-based. In a complete reversal, however, on the same day as it unveiled its new Fiduciary Rule, the DOL also unveiled a 300+ page document that introduced a new, broad, principal-based prohibited transaction exemption, known as the Best Interest Contract Exemption. Here's what advisors need to know.
When it comes to investing your IRAs, you are in the driver’s seat. If an investment is no longer working for you and another opportunity better fits your retirement savings strategy, you may want to move your IRA funds. You are probably aware that some investments may limit your ability to do this or impose penalties, but often overlooked are the serious consequences that will occur if you run afoul of the IRA rules when trying to make your move. Before you decide to take a distribution from your IRA, you will want to understand three very important rules that apply to rollovers.
If you are like many Americans, your IRA may be one of your biggest assets. You may be surprised to discover that this important part of your retirement savings plan may be more vulnerable than you might think. Here is what you need to know about protection of your IRA in bankruptcy and beyond.
This week's Slott Report Mailbag answers questions on three of our most popular topics: required minimum distributions (RMDs), the stretch IRA and IRA rollovers. The rules are extremely confusing, and we clear them up for these three consumers in this mailbag.
Intricate questions to kick off the new year. One consumer has a question about moving pre-tax money to post-tax accounts, while another is getting conflicting answers about utilizing his IRA for ministry housing. Finally, we answer a question on what's sure to be a popular topic in 2016, the tax reporting of hard-to-value IRA assets.
The rules for rolling over IRA distributions can be complicated. These rules can become especially challenging at the end of the calendar year. If you are taking a distribution from your IRA at end of 2015 and considering a roll over that may not be completed until 2016, here are four facts you will want to know.
The Slott Report Mailbag is full of inquisitive consumers searching for answers on the pro-rata rule, the intricacies of IRA rollovers, and the "due dates" for an IRA owner's first and second required minimum distributions (RMDs).
This week's Slott Report Mailbag answers a question about the IRA rollover procedure compared to trustee-to-trustee transfers and examines the Back-Door Roth IRA strategy. Open this week's mail to read the answers to questions about these two key IRA planning processes.
An article titled “If You Have Savings In Your 20s, You’re Doing Something Wrong” has recently gone viral. The article, which got over two million likes on Facebook, suggests that saving for your future in your twenties is a bad idea. It suggests that if you are in your twenties, you would be better off going out, spending money and enjoying life rather than saving for the future. We explain why you don't have to take an all-or-nothing approach to savings decisions in your 20s.
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.
