In my April 12 Slott Report entry (“5 Reasons to Open a Roth IRA Immediately!”), I included a handful of points as to why it was imperative to open a Roth IRA, especially before the tax filing deadline. But a coin has two sides. Here are 5 reasons why you should NOT open a Roth IRA:
One important way that IRAs differ from company retirement plans is with respect to spousal financial rights. Most married IRA owners do not need spousal consent before designating a beneficiary other than the spouse. By contrast, most married plan participants do need to get their spouse to agree to a non-spouse beneficiary. And married participants in some types of plans also need spousal consent before taking a lump sum distribution from the plan.
Time is running out! The tax filing deadline is Tuesday, April 18. Why is this important? Because that is the last day an IRA can be opened and/or funded for the previous year. Even if a taxpayer files for an extension, that does NOT extend the prior-year IRA contribution deadline.
Higher education expenses can be steep. Fortunately for those under the age of 59 ½ who need to dip into retirement savings to cover these costs, there is an exception to the 10% early withdrawal penalty. Before tapping your IRA, be sure to understand the fundamentals of this penalty exception. Here are the basics:
Question:
In a recent blog post, you said that the deadline for contributing to a Roth IRA for 2022 is April 18, 2023. Does that include converting a traditional IRA to a Roth?
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has been in the news recently as bank failures have made headlines. The FDIC is an independent agency created by Congress. It provides deposit insurance coverage for institutions such as banks, in the event that the bank fails and does not have enough assets to pay off depositors.
Question:
Hi,
I’m looking forward to the July workshop in Boston but hoping you can help with this question now.
What happens if an account holder who is over age 59 ½ does a Roth conversion from his traditional IRA but dies before the five-year holding period?
Considering that it made 92 new IRA and retirement plan changes and is 357 pages long, it’s not surprising that the new SECURE 2.0 law has several unintended drafting errors and lots of unresolved questions.
The drafting errors will have to be fixed, either by Congress in “technical corrections” legislation or by the IRS. The first concerns the delay in the age when RMDs (required minimum distributions) must start. The way SECURE 2.0 now reads is that someone born during 1959 will have two RMD ages: 73 and 75.
If you want to leave your IRA to an adult, you simply name that person on the IRA beneficiary form. Unfortunately, when it comes to minors, it is not that easy.
When a minor inherits retirement dollars, the child is not legally able to make financial decisions. A guardian may be needed. Guardians could be named in a parent’s will, and some IRA beneficiary designation forms allow nomination of a guardian. The court can also appoint a guardian, but this can be a long and expensive process.
By now, most are aware the SECURE Act created a new class of beneficiaries called “eligible designated beneficiaries” (EDBs). This group includes surviving spouses, minor children of the account owner (until age 21), disabled individuals, chronically ill individuals, and people who are not more than 10 years younger than the IRA owner. (Those older than the IRA owner also qualify.)
