IRS Private Letter Ruling 201342017 is a ruling that involved a Ponzi scheme in an IRA. An IRA owner we will call "Alex" asserted that his failure to complete his IRA rollover within the 60-day rollover window was because his financial adviser engaged in a Ponzi scheme.
This week's Slott Report Mailbag answers questions about inherited IRAs and naming a trust as the beneficiary of employer plan retirement assets. This to read a Q&A with our IRA Technical Expert.
Whenever you receive an IRA distribution, you have 60 days from the day you receive it to roll it over, tax-free, to another IRA. The failure to complete a rollover within 60 days means the funds aren't eligible for rollover, and that means the IRA distribution will be taxable to you. Also, if you’re under age 59 ½ at the time, the 10% early distribution penalty will apply. But in some cases, you can get more time to complete a tax-free rollover.
If you are an IRA owner and are over age 70 ½ this year, you have to take your required minimum distribution (RMD) by December 31, 2013. If you want to give money to charity this year and haven’t yet taken your IRA RMD, you should consider giving your RMD directly to the charity. Click to find out why.
There’s a common belief that if you have a 401(k) plan where you work and you contribute to it, you’re not allowed to also contribute to your IRA for the same year. But that’s not true; you’re allowed to contribute to both.
If you are an IRA owner and are over age 70 ½ this year, you have to take your required minimum distribution (RMD) by December 31, 2013. If you want to give money to charity this year and haven’t yet taken your IRA RMD, you should consider giving your RMD directly to the charity.
If you are married, you can choose between filing your federal income tax return as a joint return or as a separate return. In general, the married-filing separately (MFS) status typically gives you fewer tax benefits than filing jointly. We explain in detail below.
When you first open an IRA with a financial institution (custodian), you have to sign the custodian's IRA contract. This IRA contract must contain an IRA agreement and an accompanying disclosure statement. Usually both these documents are contained in one IRA contract, with the disclosure statement attached right behind the IRA agreement.
You are allowed to buy life insurance inside your employer retirement plan, such as a 401(k) or profit sharing plan. While many plans don't offer life insurance as an investment, some in fact do. Click to find out more.
The IRS released the 2013 version of IRS Form 8880, Credit for Qualified Retirement Savings Contributions. The form is used to claim a federal income tax credit, known as the “saver’s credit,” if you make IRA contributions or certain salary deferral contributions to your company’s retirement plan, such as a 401(k) plan. Click to find out the criteria needed for receiving this credit.
