-Darren Leavitt, CFA Markets bounced back nicely in the second week of September. It was an intriguing week of trade with several undercurrents to consider. The first and likely only Presidential debate between Harris and Trump appeared to be won by Harris, although...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst QUESTION: I inherited a traditional IRA from my mother in 2024. She passed before her required beginning date (RBD.) I know that I fall under the 10-year rule. The question is, do I need to start required minimum distributions...
Saving and investing early, often, and continuously throughout your entire working career is absolutely critical to securing your financial future in retirement. Making contributions to your 401(k) or IRA provides tax benefits, allowing you to defer taxes owed on your...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Workplace retirement plans – like a 401(k) – can hold different types of dollars. Typically, a 401(k) will have a pre-tax bucket and a Roth bucket. Occasionally, a plan will have a third bucket to hold after-tax (non-Roth) money....
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst If you are making student loan repayments, you should ask your employer if it will match those payments in the company’s retirement plan. The SECURE 2.0 Act allows for matching contributions on “qualified student loan payments” (or...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Global equity markets tumbled due to economic growth concerns as the US Treasuries extended their gains from August. The holiday-shortened week started with weaker-than-anticipated manufacturing data out of China, which highlighted just how weak...
Three significant 401(k) plan changes coming in 2025 are worth paying attention to, regardless of when you plan to retire, whether you work full-time or part-time, or whether you even have a 401(k) yet. In late 2022, Congress passed a law to help savers build their...
Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Question: Can I roll over a Roth 401(k) to an existing Roth IRA or does it need to be in its own separate account? When does the 5-year holding period begin for the Roth 401K rollover? Thank you, Elisabeth Answer: Hi...
Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education The new required minimum distribution (RMD) rules recently issued by the IRS include some good news for trusts named as retirement account beneficiaries. A documentation requirement (that tripped up many trustees...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA The final week of August was all about NVidia’s second-quarter earnings results and the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, the PCE. Expectations for NVidia’s earnings were so high that some decided to throw pre/post-earnings...
Big changes are coming to retirement savings in 2025. The shifts in retirement planning come after Congress passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act) in 2019 and its 2022 follow-up, the SECURE 2.0, which further expanded and...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Question: Under IRS rules, if I am currently receiving required minimum distributions (RMDs) and die today, my non-spouse beneficiary has 10 years to pay out my IRA. If that beneficiary dies five years later (in August 2029), does the...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst In my August 19 Slott Report (“Year of Death RMD – Deadline Extended!”), I wrote about the required beginning date, who takes the year-of-death required minimum distribution (RMD), and the deadline for taking that distribution....
Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst If you have multiple traditional IRAs and want to do a 60-day rollover (or Roth conversion) in a year when a required minimum distribution (RMD) is due, the IRS has a surprise for you. RMDs from multiple traditional IRAs (and SEP or...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst QUESTION: I have been getting emails from a few sites pitching their subscriptions. They claim that Roth IRAs will all be taxable in the future. They say there are things you can do to avoid these taxes, but to find out what...
If you claim benefits early, income from work can reduce your monthly payments “Retirement” used to be synonymous with “not working.” Not anymore. More than a quarter of U.S. adults ages 65 to 74 are still in the workforce, according to the federal Bureau of Labor...
Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education In 2020, the SECURE Act completely changed the game for nonspouse IRA beneficiaries. Now, most are subject to the 10-year payout rule. Recently released final RMD rules keep the controversial proposed rule that...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst When a person reaches the required beginning date (RBD) – generally April 1 of the year after the year the person turns age 73 – required minimum distributions (RMDs) must officially start on traditional IRAs. But what if an IRA...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Markets reversed course last week as investors reassessed the economic narrative of a recession. Better-than-expected inflation data, alongside a robust reading of Retail Sales and a pullback on Initial Jobless Claims, tempered fears of a severe...
Investors should expect volatility but also try not to overreact to news. To prepare, focus now on tax minimization, protecting your portfolio and more. In times of great change, it is only natural for people to wonder and worry. Without perspective, it morphs into...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Question: Hello, I’m in my sixties, in the golden years for Roth conversions, which I’ve been doing. I’ve had a small Roth IRA account for more than 5 years. Last year I converted $90,000. This year will be about...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst If you have both pre-tax and Roth accounts in a 401(k) (or a 403(b) or governmental 457(b)) and are subject to required minimum distributions (RMDs), be aware of new rule changes made in the 2022 SECURE 2.0 law. The rules were clarified...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Wow, what a week for global financial markets. A rollercoaster ride for investors continued throughout the week as multiple narratives ricocheted off prior expectations. Crowded trades coupled with weaker-than-expected economic data in the prior...
For older parents of adult children with disabilities, focus stays on caring for kids Jeanne Piorkowski looks forward to having more time in retirement to navigate the dense bureaucracy of forms, benefits and programs she can already rattle off like an expert. But she...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Trapped. For two nights in July, I slept on the floor at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport – a victim of the mass Delta computer outage. Booking a hotel after midnight (when the final cancellation hit) was not worth the...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst One of the positive outcomes of the new IRS final SECURE Act regulations on required minimum distributions (RMDs), released on July 18, is that more beneficiaries will be able to stretch RMDs over their lifetime. Under the 2020 SECURE...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Last week, markets took a significant step back on weaker-than-expected labor data that challenged the idea of an economic soft landing. Mega Cap technology earnings continued to show massive cap-ex spend on AI; however, enthusiasm about...
QUESTION: I inherited both a traditional and a Roth IRA from my significant other (non-spouse) who passed away in 2021. He had started taking required minimum distributions (RMDs). I am less than 10 years younger than he was. Question is: do I or do I not have...
As folks approach retirement, they often start mentioning their “bucket list” more frequently. The bucket list is generally an itemized agenda of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to accomplish during their lifetime before they “kick the bucket” or die....
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst In Part 1 (July 17), I discussed 5-year clock issues when a non-spouse beneficiary inherits a Roth IRA. In Part 2, I will hit on the important concepts and options available when a spouse inherits a Roth IRA. Keep as...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial markets traded mixed last week. News on Sunday that President Biden had decided not to pursue reelection and endorse his Vice President Harris induced a reassessment of the political landscape. However, the overall reaction in the...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst In the July 22, 2024 Slott Report, my colleague Sarah Brenner explained how the IRS, in its final SECURE Act required minimum distribution (RMD) regulations issued on July 18, did not budge on a controversial position it had taken in its...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education On July 18, 2024, the IRS issued final required minimum distribution (RMD) regulations under the 2020 SECURE Act. The newly issued regulations fine-tune existing rules for trust beneficiaries and aggregation...
It was a very busy week on Wall Street as investors seemed inclined to rotate out of Mega-cap tech and into this year’s laggards. A failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump last Saturday in Pennsylvania only bolstered his chances for reelection...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Question: One of our clients wants to cash out his IRA and then roll it into a Roth IRA within 60 days. Can this be done directly, or does it have to be rolled back into an IRA first and then converted? Thanks, Samuel Answer: Hi Samuel, A...
KEY POINTS An improving economy has helped modestly improve the outlook for Social Security’s funds. But experts say the outlook for the program still points to the need for imminent reform. A new Social Security trustees report released Monday provides a modest...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst When an IRA owner does a Roth conversion, there is typically a 5-year clock for the earnings on the converted dollars to be tax free. If a person already had a Roth IRA for 5 years AND is over 59 ½, there is no conversion...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst One of the more interesting rules (if any could be called “interesting”) from the 2022 IRS proposed regulations requires spouse beneficiaries in some situations to take RMDs (required minimum distributions) before doing a spousal...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst QUESTION: Do required minimum distributions (RMDs) need to be taken when a non-spouse beneficiary inherits Roth IRA? It seems this has been a point of confusion for some time. ANSWER: This is something that confuses a lot of...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education If you are charitably inclined and have an IRA, a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) can be a great strategy. With a QCD, you can move IRA funds to the charity of your choice tax-free. Here are 12 QCD rules...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst If I pour too much water into a glass, removing liquid from a different glass does not correct the problem. The excess water must be removed from the “offending” receptacle. Such is the case with excess IRA contributions. If too...
Planning for retirement is hard for many reasons, including the challenge of answering one key question: Just how long will I be retired? Knowing how much time you’ll have to enjoy your golden years is paramount to budgeting; after all, you can’t determine how much...
Planning for retirement is hard for many reasons, including the challenge of answering one key question: Just how long will I be retired? Knowing how much time you’ll have to enjoy your golden years is paramount to budgeting; after all, you can’t determine how much...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA The holiday-shortened week saw the S&P 500 hit its 34th record high this year. The NASDAQ 100 also eclipsed the 20k mark for the first time. Traders welcomed weaker-than-expected economic data that fostered the likelihood that the Federal...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst If you take a taxable withdrawal from your IRA or 401(k) (or other company plan) before age 59 ½, you normally have to pay a 10% penalty in addition to taxes. But Congress continues to carve out exceptions to this penalty, and there are...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education More and more Americans have retirement savings in Roth 401(k)s. With their rising popularity come some complicated tax issues. These funds are often rolled over to Roth IRAs at retirement or when a...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial markets finished the 2nd quarter with a lack of conviction. Mega-caps led the market over the quarter with a 9.65% gain, while the equally weighted S&P 500 index declined by -2.42%, and the market weight S&P index gained 4.13%....
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Question: I have a question about the Roth IRA distribution ordering rules based on a client’s situation: 1. The client is 45 years old. 2. She has had a Roth IRA open for five plus years. 3. She made a $6,000...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst You know the game “beer pong?” Arrange 6 or 10 cups in a triangle, fill each one with a couple of ounces whatever beverage you are enjoying, and your opponent tries to toss a ping-pong ball into one of the cups. If a throw is...
KEY POINTS By some measures, millennials lag on retirement preparedness and net worth relative to older generations such as Gen X and baby boomers. There are many reasons for this, such as a shift away from pensions toward 401(k) plans and high student debt burdens....
By Ian Berger, JDIRA Analyst A recent survey found that over 80% of 401(k) plans now offer employees the option of making Roth 401(k) employee contributions. More and more employees are now taking advantage of that opportunity. (In this article, I use the term “Roth...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA The holiday-shortened week saw the S&P 500 eclipse 5500 and hit its 31st all-time high of the year. Volumes were relatively light until Friday, when $5.5 trillion in derivatives expired and rolled in the next contract month. Several...
QUESTION: I attended the Mid-Year IRA Planning Opportunities 2024 Webinar on May 14th. I missed the reasons for not naming a trust as a beneficiary in an IRA. I know you can name a trust, but what would be the downside? Thank you, Victoria ANSWER: Victoria, There are...
By Ian Berger, JDIRA Analyst Question: Does a SIMPLE IRA owner who is over age 73 and still works for the same company that sponsors the SIMPLE IRA plan have to take an RMD (required minimum distribution)? He does not own any of the company. Answer: Yes. SIMPLE and...
The calendar page has turned and 2024 is well on its way. Before we get too far down the road, be sure to check out these changes around retirement savings. Every so often the federal government approves changes to the contribution limits for tax-advantaged retirement...
By Sarah Brenner, JDDirector of Retirement Education You have been contributing to your IRA for years. The market is up, and you are watching those investments grow. Maybe you have rolled over funds to your IRA from your company plan. You may now have a significant...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst It is perfectly acceptable for a person to participate in multiple work plans in the same year (even at the same time). For example, a 401(k) and a SEP. Or maybe a 401(k) and another 401(k). However, care must be taken to...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA US Markets finished the second week of June with mixed results. It was an extremely busy week for investors as key Central Bank policy decisions were announced outside of a full economic calendar centered on two key inflation data sets. There...
QUESTION: At age 80, after I take my required minimum distribution (RMD), can I then do a rollover from my IRA to my Roth IRA? If I can, is there a limit as to how much? I know that it is all taxable. Thanks, John ANSWER: John, Once your RMD has been satisfied, yes,...
After more than two years, we might actually soon be getting answers from the IRS on several important unanswered questions concerning required minimum distributions (RMDs) for those who inherit IRAs or company plan accounts. The 2019 SECURE Act completely changed the...
For older parents of adult children with disabilities, focus stays on caring for kids Jeanne Piorkowski looks forward to having more time in retirement to navigate the dense bureaucracy of forms, benefits and programs she can already rattle off like an expert. But she...
We are surrounded with information – and misinformation. Finding accurate up-to-date facts is increasingly difficult. Do an internet search and you will likely run into obsolete websites that have not been updated in years, paywalls demanding you subscribe before...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA The S&P 500 inked its twenty-fifth all-time high for the year, with outperformance coming from the mega-cap technology names. The Vanguard Mega-Cap Growth ETF was up 3.3% for the week. NVidia and AMD started the week with new product...
At the end of 2022, the SECURE Act 2.0, short for Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement, became law. It expands earlier legislation, changing many aspects of the savings and retirement landscape for Americans. The rule changes make various accounts...
Question: When can we expect final SECURE Act regulations from the IRS? Mike Answer: Hi Mike, No one knows for sure. However, there is now some hope that these may be coming sooner rather than later. In recently released Notice 2024-35, the IRS said that final...
As retirement account questions go, this is the shortest inquiry with the longest answer. When asked what factors to consider and what 5-year clocks apply with a Roth 401(k) to Roth IRA rollover, I take a big breath and say, “Pull up a chair.” There are a number of...
A recent government report highlights how confused 401(k) participants are when they have to decide what to do with their savings after leaving employment. Tax rules require401(k) plans (and 403(b) and governmental 457(b) plans) to provide a written notice when...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA The holiday-shortened week on Wall Street was volatile. The last of first-quarter earnings continued to influence the markets. Earning results from the retailers were mixed as BestBuy, Footlocker, Nordstrom’s, and Costco’s shares increased...
A recent retiree shares lessons learned late about saving money and spending time Everyone nearing retirement has a vision of what their road will be like once they clock out of the 9-to-5. Maybe that prophecy includes regular travel, longer trips to see the...
Question: Can an individual who is using the age 55 exception to the 10% early distribution penalty roll over a part of a 403(b) account to an IRA and leave a portion in the 403(b) to take penalty-free withdrawals? Thank you, Jamie Answer: Hi Jamie, There is no rule...
If you have an IRA and you are approaching retirement age, you have probably heard the term “required minimum distribution” (RMD). But do you know the details of how the rules work and what they mean for you? Here are five facts about RMDs that every IRA owner should...
Weekly Market Commentary – 5/24/2024 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial markets ended the week with mixed results. All eyes this week were on AI darling NVidia, which posted better-than-expected Q1 results and provided guidance above the consensus estimates. The...
A new study shows more Americans mulling early exit from workforce. Here’s what to look at before you leap The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a surge in early retirements that came to be called the Great Resignation. New research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on X: @theslottreport We have written about this subject in the past (December 2023), but as is our philosophy here, learning is all about repetition, repetition, repetition. Surprisingly (he says with tongue...
Here’s how to get your financial house in order Forget cleaning out the closet, scrubbing the floors and washing the windows. The start of spring is an even better time to get your finances in order. “One thing on many people’s minds is cleaning. But what if you put...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on X: @theslottreport In a famous “Seinfeld” episode, George Costanza, unemployed, living with his parents and without a girlfriend, decides to do the opposite of what he would normally do. It pays off for him big time as he...
Weekly Market Commentary – 5/17/2024 -Darren Leavitt, CFA The major US equity indices inked a fourth consecutive week of gains as US Treasury yields fell on an in-line CPI print that showed a deceleration of inflation for the first time in three months. Still,...
KEY POINTS As wage growth outpaces inflation, Americans have reason to be more optimistic about long-term goals like retirement. But many still fear that uncertainties like a higher cost of living or U.S. government changes to the retirement system may throw them off...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on X: @theslottreport Question: I need guidance on a new client with the following information: Is age 55; Has a $700,000 ESOP in a company that he separated from over 10 years ago; and Wants...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on X: @theslottreport What do you get when community property mixes with your IRA? Well, you will discover that the results can be confusing. Here are some facts every IRA owner should know. Community...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on X: @theslottreport Ed Slott’s Elite IRA Advisor Group℠ gathered in Indianapolis last week for another successful conference. Over 350 member advisors from across the country spent two intense days of training,...
Weekly Market Commentary – 5/10/2024 -Darren Leavitt, CFA The S&P 500 notched a third consecutive week of gains as the index broke and held above its 50-day moving average. Investors were treated to another dose of first-quarter corporate earnings. Disney,...
Here’s how to get your financial house in order Forget cleaning out the closet, scrubbing the floors and washing the windows. The start of spring is an even better time to get your finances in order. “One thing on many people’s minds is cleaning. But what if you...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on X: @theslottreport Question: Can a QCD (qualified charitable distribution) be made from a 401(k) plan? Thanks! Answer: No, QCDs can only be made from IRAs and inactive SEP or SIMPLE IRAs. One possible workaround would...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on X: @theslottreport It’s been over four years since the SECURE Act upended the rules for beneficiary IRA required minimum distributions (RMDs), and there’s still plenty of confusion about the new rules. The IRS did give...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on X: @theslottreport If you are at retirement age, you might be at a high risk for excess contributions due to rollover mistakes. This is because of the rule that says that the required minimum...
-Darren Leavitt, CFA It was an extremely busy week on Wall Street. First-quarter earnings results were highlighted by Apple and Amazon. Investors encouraged by their results sent higher shares on the back of increased dividends, increased share buyback programs, and...
Inflation adjustments and the phase-in of Secure 2.0 provisions have implications for retirement savers and retirees alike. The dawning of 2024 will usher in more changes than usual on the retirement-planning front. As is typical with the turn of the calendar page,...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on X: @theslottreport QUESTION: My client is terminating employment and rolling over the funds from his 401(k). He was told that the funds must be rolled over to a “rollover IRA” and kept separate from any other...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on X: @theslottreport SCENARIO: In one calendar year, Jessie completes the following transactions: 1. Takes a partial distribution from her 401(k) and does a 60-day rollover to an IRA. 2. Does a 60-day rollover...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on X: @theslottreport Here’s a question we get asked often: Say you retire in the year you turn age 73 (or in a later year) and you want to roll over your 401(k) funds to an IRA. Do you have to take a required minimum...
Weekly Market Commentary – 4/26/2024 -Darren Leavitt, CFA US equity markets bounced back last week, with nearly 40% of the S&P 500 companies reporting first-quarter results. The rally was propelled by Microsoft and Google, whose better-than-expected earnings...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on X: @theslottreport Question: My brother died in 2020 and made me the beneficiary of an IRA he inherited from my sister who died in 2017. Can I continue to stretch the payments from this...
Don’t panic — but do pay the tax tab Bills are a fact of life, though some require more urgent attention than others. Ignore your brother-in-law because you still owe him $50 from last year’s poker game, and you’ll get the cold shoulder. Ignore your debt to Uncle Sam,...
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on X: @theslottreport The cost of healthcare continues to climb. Are you frustrated with higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs? You are not alone. You may be looking for new strategies to handle these...
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on X: @theslottreport We answer some pretty complex IRA and retirement plan questions. Our newsletters and other Slott Report entries can get into the weeds on some tricky topics. The thing is, when you spend all...
Weekly Market Commentary – 4/19/2024 -Darren Leavitt, CFA Financial markets took another step back last week as investors grappled with increased tensions in the Middle East and the recognition that interest rates are likely going to be higher for longer. Iran...
How changes in Social Security, Medicare, taxes and more will affect your finances For most people, retirement finance is a delicate balance between income that’s likely less than what you made while working and expenses that may be lower in some areas (no more...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on X: @theslottreport Question: Can you please clarify a question I have about whether I should take a Roth IRA withdrawal? I am much older than age 59 ½, and my first Roth IRA was opened over 20 years ago. I now own a...
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on X: @theslottreport If you’re an IRA beneficiary subject to the 10-year payout period and would have had a 2024 required minimum distribution (RMD), you’re in luck. In IRS Notice 2024-35, issued yesterday (April 16), the IRS...
