In my April 12 Slott Report entry (“5 Reasons to Open a Roth IRA Immediately!”), I included a handful of points as to why it was imperative to open a Roth IRA, especially before the tax filing deadline. But a coin has two sides. Here are 5 reasons why you should NOT open a Roth IRA:
Despite the reduction in the penalty for missing required minimum distributions (RMDs) in the new SECURE 2.0 law, it looks like you will still be able to get the IRS to waive the penalty altogether.
Before 2023, if you missed an RMD the IRS could impose a penalty equal to 50% of the missed amount. However, the IRS almost always waived the penalty if you took the RMD and filed Form 5329 (with a reasonable cause explanation) with the IRS.
Spring break. Warm breezes and ocean waves and fancy cocktails are top of mind. The aroma of coconut suntan lotion entwined with barbecue smoke floats on salty air. And when morning light flickers through the palm fronds, like Jimmy Buffett said, “I sure could use a Bloody Mary, so I stumbled over to Louie’s Backyard.”
We continue to get questions about the ability of employees to withdraw from 401(k) plans while still working. The tax code includes certain restrictions on these in-service withdrawals. Plans must follow these rules or they risk losing their tax-qualified status.
But plans are also free to impose even more restrictive rules than required by the tax code
Considering that it made 92 new IRA and retirement plan changes and is 357 pages long, it’s not surprising that the new SECURE 2.0 law has several unintended drafting errors and lots of unresolved questions.
The drafting errors will have to be fixed, either by Congress in “technical corrections” legislation or by the IRS. The first concerns the delay in the age when RMDs (required minimum distributions) must start. The way SECURE 2.0 now reads is that someone born during 1959 will have two RMD ages: 73 and 75.
If you want to leave your IRA to an adult, you simply name that person on the IRA beneficiary form. Unfortunately, when it comes to minors, it is not that easy.
When a minor inherits retirement dollars, the child is not legally able to make financial decisions. A guardian may be needed. Guardians could be named in a parent’s will, and some IRA beneficiary designation forms allow nomination of a guardian. The court can also appoint a guardian, but this can be a long and expensive process.
Question:
Can an Education Savings Account (ESA) be rolled into a Roth IRA under the recently enacted SECURE 2.0? 529 plans clearly can - beginning in 2024 - but I have found no reference to ESAs. Can you kindly clarify this and direct me to any literature?
Thank you,
Last week the Ed Slott team hosted another highly successful and sold-out 2-day advisor training program at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Over 250 financial professionals from across the country attended, and we plowed through our 400-page manual. During the two day event we discussed IRA beneficiary rules, trusts as beneficiary, net unrealized appreciation, backdoor Roth IRAs, SECURE 2.0 changes, QCDs, the pro-rata rule, gifting strategies, etc.
I am interested in your interpretation of the RMD (required minimum distribution) rules using the following facts:
Original IRA owner’s DOB is 1/21/29
Original IRA owner’s date of death is 12/29/21
SECURE 2.0 is a mammoth piece of legislation that contains over 90 provisions that affect retirement accounts. While many of these provisions are not game changers, they still can be very helpful to specific groups of retirement savers. One of these is the provision that eliminates the 10% early distribution penalty that applies to net income attributable (NIA) when an excess IRA contribution is corrected by withdrawal.
