If your employer offers a SEP (Simplified Employee Pension) plan, it's very similar to a profit sharing plan, except that contributions are placed into your designated SEP IRA. Once the funds are in your IRA, you own and control your own money. Your employer does not control the money after it's been deposited in your SEP IRA.
As crisp temperatures and autumn colors cascade through our neighborhoods, people start eying year-end IRA and tax planning. We saw it in this week's Slott Report Mailbag with questions about a Roth conversion and paying the tax associated with it, distributions from inherited IRAs and the rules regarding what you can and can't do with RMDs (required minimum distributions).
Hurricane Isaac, which began on August 26, 2012, did considerable flooding and wind damage to parts of the U.S., especially Louisiana and Mississippi. Some areas in those states were declared federal disaster areas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
IRAs are not only different, but the rules governing them can be difficult. The Slott Report Mailbag is here to wade through the intricate details and help consumers make the right choices for their retirement plans, and steer them to able, educated financial advisors who can help them fill in the blanks. This week we received questions on the once-per-year rollover rule, buying a building with your IRA, and what qualifies has a hardship distribution.
Fall is upon us, at least that's what we think every time we walk past a coffee shop. People are beginning year-end retirement planning preparations, and this week's Slott Report Mailbag includes questions on required minimum distributions (RMDs) and two different scenarios for Roth conversions.
When a Roth IRA owner dies, the money belongs to the beneficiary. Although Roth IRA owners never have to take minimum distributions during their lifetime, the beneficiary must take distributions after the Roth IRA owner dies. Roth IRA beneficiaries have the same after-death stretch opportunity as if they inherited a traditional IRA. There are two options for you as the beneficiary of a Roth IRA, which we explain below.
Almost all IRA owners will name a primary beneficiary of their IRA; usually some person who will receive your IRA assets after you die, such as your wife or husband or children. Virtually all IRA custodians will also allow you to name a contingent beneficiary.
Can you believe summer is almost over? Yet, The Slott Report Mailbag was full of pertinent IRA and retirement planning questions from consumers who are trying to make the right decisions as the dog days rapidly turn into fall. This week's installment includes questions (and our answers) on the 60-day deadline on Roth IRA rollovers, 10% penalty exceptions and Roth IRA conversions.
Many of you have stepchildren. It's perfectly fine to name stepchildren as the beneficiary of your retirement funds. However, care must be taken when naming them as the beneficiary.
This week's Slott Report Mailbag includes some detailed questions (retirement planning is complicated, you know!) on Roth IRA conversion taxes, excess IRA contributions and the process of combining Roth IRA accounts. Click to read a Q&A with our IRA Technical Consultant.
