Roth IRA recharacterization

Best Thing Since Sliced Bread?

Roth IRAs are a wonderful way to save for retirement. A person can sock away $6,000 a year (plus another $1,000 if they are age 50 or older) and the earnings will grow tax free. Plus, most custodians allow Roth IRA dollars to be invested in an incredibly wide array of options – mutual funds, stocks, ETFs - a veritable smorgasbords of choices. Can’t beat that with a stick!Did I mention that Roth IRAs have no required minimum distributions at age 70 ½? (Put that in the “pro-Roth” column.) What about age restrictions on who can contribute? You’re telling me that anyone can contribute to a Roth IRA as long as they have earned income and do not exceed certain income limits?

8 Things to Know Before the October 16 Recharacterization Deadline

Did you convert your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in 2016 and now you are reconsidering that move? Did you make a 2016 traditional IRA contribution and later discover the contribution was not deductible? Did you contribute to a Roth IRA, not knowing that your income was above the limits for eligibility? If you answered, “yes” to any of these questions, there is a deadline rapidly approaching that you will want to know about. That is the October 16, 2017 deadline for recharacterizing 2016 conversions and IRA contributions. Here are 8 things you need to know about recharacterization.

Year-End Retirement Account Q & A

Question: When is the last day to make a 2016 Roth IRA conversion? Today's Slott Report goes into popular questions and answers you may have for the end of the calendar year.

Too Many Roth IRAs? It’s Time to Consolidate

A common strategy is to go through with smaller Roth IRA conversions or to convert different assets to different Roth IRAs. If you have done this over a number of years, you probably have more Roth IRAs than you know what to do with. Maybe it is time to consolidate. Here's why.

How Do I Take My Deceased Spouse’s 2016 RMD?

This week's Slott Report Mailbag looks at several retirement planning complexities, including required minimum distribution (RMD) responsibilities for a non-spouse beneficiary and Social Security benefits for a divorcee.

How to I Handle My Excess Roth IRA Contributions?

This week's Slott Report Mailbag looks at possible miscues and how to handle them. What constitutes an excess Roth IRA contribution? One individual below has to deal with the 6% penalty while another doesn't. We explain why.

Reconverting? 4 Things You Need to Know

You converted your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Then, you recharacterized those Roth IRA funds back to a traditional IRA. You are not alone. Many taxpayers recharacterize Roth IRA conversions. This is especially common in times of market volatility. For many taxpayers, a recharacterization makes sense when faced with a Roth IRA that declined in value since the conversion. Why pay a tax bill on value that no longer exists? After the recharacterizion, you may be wondering... what next? Here are some things you need to know.

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