Federal Reserve data shows sharp rise in amount Americans 65 and older owe Americans across generations are carrying more debt than they did three decades ago, according to Federal Reserve data, but the rise has been especially steep among the oldest age groups. The...

What’s the First RMD Year for Those Born in 1959?

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst If you were born in 1959, what is the first year that you must start taking required minimum distributions (RMDs)? That would seem like an easy question to answer, but because of a snafu by Congress, it isn’t quite so clear. For many...

What You Need to Know About Withholding and Your IRA

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education If you take a distribution from your traditional IRA, in most cases you will owe taxes. The government wants to be sure those taxes are paid, so IRA distributions are subject to federal income tax withholding. The...
Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary

-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...

401(k) to IRA Rollover – 3 Buckets

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....
Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary

-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...
3 Changes Are Coming to 401(k) Plans in 2025

3 Changes Are Coming to 401(k) Plans in 2025

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...
Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary

-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...
6 Retirement Savings Changes To Expect in 2025

6 Retirement Savings Changes To Expect in 2025

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...

New Rules: Aggregating Year-of-Death RMDs

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....

The Roth IRA Advantage Under the Final RMD Rules

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...

Year-of-Death RMD – Deadline Extended!

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...

Roth 401(k) Dollars Are No Longer Subject to RMDs

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...