Welcome to this month's installment of Are You an IRA Expert? Always thought you knew more than the next guy about IRAs and retirement accounts? Well now’s your chance to prove it. Below are three questions, ranging from beginner to expert. Test your IRA skills by trying to get all three right!
Ed Slott and Company IRA Technical Consultant Jeffrey Levine details three main 2013 tax and revenue raising provisions to keep your eye on and plan for as summer flies by (we are nearly three-fourths of the way through the calendar year!) One of those provisions is a surtax on net investment income brought on by President Obama's health care law.
Today is a very special day here at the Slott Report. Why is that, you ask? Well, today is the start of a brand new feature here at the blog called "5 Quick Questions." From time to time you will see new 5 Quick Questions on all sorts of IRA and retirement account related topics.
A recent report released by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College shows that Social Security is one of, if not the cheapest annuities available (click here to see the report). "Well that doesn't make much sense" you might be saying to yourself. After all, you don’t "buy" your Social Security annuity payments right? You're simply entitled to receive them after meeting certain requirements.
A recent report released by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College shows that Social Security is one of, if not the cheapest annuities available (click here to see the report). "Well that doesn’t make much sense" you might be saying to yourself. After all, you don’t "buy" your Social Security annuity payments right? You're simply entitled to receive them after meeting certain requirements.
Kathryn Joosten passed away from lung cancer at the age of 72 last Friday. That name may not sound familiar to everyone, but fans of the hit TV show Desperate Housewives will recognize Joosten as the actress who played Karen McCluckey. And fans of retirement accounts will remember Kathryn for a slightly different reason. What in the world could an actress on Desperate Housewives have to do with retirement accounts? Funny “you” should ask.
Memorial Day is almost here, and it should serve as a reminder that we owe a great deal of thanks to all the members of our armed forces, both past and present. With that in mind, today we chose to highlight a couple of IRA-related tax breaks that are available to certain members of our military and their families.
Wait a minute? Isn’t the deadline for making an IRA or Roth IRA contribution the tax filing deadline, not including extensions? You bet your bottom dollar it is! Then how, you might ask, can you possibly make a 2011 IRA contribution on May 9, 2012 – well after the general filing deadline of April 17, 2012? We'll tell you!
Can you believe that we are already in May? And in 2012 no less? In the spirit, somehow fast forwarding into the future and being in May of 2012, here are 12 things you may not do with your retirement account.1)
You may not convert or rollover a required minimum distribution (RMD). A year’s RMD must be taken prior to making any such transaction.2)
You may not claim “hardship” as an exception to the 10% early distribution penalty. No such exception exists!!3)
You may not name your estate as your IRA beneficiary if you want your beneficiaries to stretch your IRA. 4)
You may not make a Roth contribution for 2012 if your income is above certain thresholds. Click here to see those thresholds.5)
You
Tax-saving strategies should be on the tip of every financial advisor's tongue throughout 2012. In this video roundtable, we discuss life insurance, annuities (more specifically QLACs), Roth IRA conversions as well as higher taxes (namely the 2013 health care surtax) coming in 2013. Share this video with your clients, your friends and your family so they know what tax-saving strategies to implement and what tax laws to keep an eye on this year.
2014 Retirement Guide Helps You
