IRA custodians are allowed to charge fees on IRAs, but the fees must be properly disclosed to you. These fees are required to be spelled out in the disclosure statement portion of the custodian's IRA document that you get when you open the IRA.
If you have an IRA, you have access to your money at any time and for any reason (unless the IRA custodian has limits on your access). Unlike an employer retirement plan, such as a 401(k) or pension plan, you don’t have to ask anyone if you can take money out of your IRA to pay some bills. Your IRA is completely under your control, and no one can stop you from taking a distribution. But there are risks when you use your IRA funds for personal expenses during the 60-day rollover period.
Ed Slott and Company IRA Technical Consultant Jeffrey Levine discusses 3 key factors you need to know when planning or thinking about a Roth IRA contribution. You can view the video below and make sure to subscribe to our IRAtv YouTube page for the latest IRA, retirement and tax planning videos.
IRA distributions that you take before age 59 ½ are considered early distributions that are subject to an IRS 10% early distribution penalty unless an exception applies. For IRAs, there are many exceptions to the penalty including death, disability, higher education, and others. A lesser known exception to the penalty applies if you use IRA funds to buy your first house.
Ed Slott's Elite IRA Advisor Group is a membership group of financial advisors who are committed to their IRA education and serving their clients' best financial and retirement planning interests. At our last workshop this May in Dallas, Texas, Ed Slott and Company IRA Technical Consultant Jeffrey Levine spent some time with several members to get their perspective on the educational expertise they receive and how it has elevated their standing in the industry and enhanced their business. Below are two roundtable discussions with seven members of Ed Slott's Elite IRA Advisor Group.
Life events happen. Marriage is one of those major life events that make you focus on not just the present, but the future. Ed Slott and Company IRA Technical Consultant Jeffrey Levine got married this past Sunday then sat down to talk about how you can name a non-spouse beneficiary of your retirement account.
We are down to the wire. Tax day is Monday, April 15th and it is coming up quickly. Following are some retirement plan deadlines you don't want to miss!
For all Americans, it’s now 2012 tax season. As we gather our information and records to prepare our federal income taxes for 2012, here are some important dates that affect retirement plans.
Over 100 of the nation's top financial advisors will be at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport Hotel next Monday and Tuesday, March 11-12, for Ed Slott's 2-Day IRA Workshop, Instant IRA Success.
As I was looking for information on pension plans for our U.S. presidents, I came across information on pension plans for members of Congress, the group of individuals we elect to set tax and spending policies for our government. The same group of individuals who miss crucial deadlines for setting policies time after time after time. The same group that gives us phased-in provisions in legislation, temporary provisions that expire or are supposed to expire but get renewed over and over again.
