Two of the ‘best’ ways to donate to maximize your tax deduction for charitable gifts, according to financial advisors

Two of the ‘best’ ways to donate to maximize your tax deduction for charitable gifts, according to financial advisors

KEY POINTS This holiday season, it may be possible to lower your taxes while supporting your favorite charity, experts say. If you itemize deductions, consider donating profitable investments or selling losing assets before gifting the cash proceeds. Donors age 70½ or...

THE INTERNET SAID SO

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport People on TikTok create investment advice videos? And I’m supposed to trust whatever this talking head is telling me? No chance. Of course, the person on TikTok could hold a number of higher...

SECURE 2.0 GLITCHES AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport 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...

NAMING A MINOR AS YOUR IRA BENEFICIARY

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport 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...

RBD – PROACTIVE SALLY AND OBLIVIOUS JERRY

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport 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...

SECURE 2.0 ELIMINATES PENALTY ON NIA

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport 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...

EDBS HAVE A CHOICE: STRETCH VS. 10-YEAR

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport By now, most are aware the SECURE Act created a new class of beneficiaries called “eligible designated beneficiaries” (EDBs). This group includes surviving spouses, minor children of the...
Life expectancy can have a greater impact than even record high inflation on how long your retirement savings will last

Life expectancy can have a greater impact than even record high inflation on how long your retirement savings will last

KEY POINTS Longevity can have a greater impact on how long retirement money lasts than today’s record high inflation, according to a new report. Surya Kolluri, head of the TIAA Institute, recommends a three-pronged approach to savings combining Social Security...

5 THINGS TO KNOW WHEN MAKING A 2022 ROTH IRA CONTRIBUTION

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Tax season is upon us. This is the time when you might be thinking about contributing to a retirement account. You may be interested in the Roth IRA, which offers the promise...
Wait until age 70 to claim Social Security: ‘The return on being patient is huge,’ says economist

Wait until age 70 to claim Social Security: ‘The return on being patient is huge,’ says economist

KEY POINTS All U.S. workers ages 45 to 62 would benefit from waiting until beyond age 65 to start receiving Social Security retirement benefits, recent research finds. The best age to claim is 70, when benefits are 76% higher than retirement benefits taken at 62. The...

AGE 50 EXCEPTION QUESTION

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport When IRA or retirement plan assets are withdrawn prior to age 59 ½, an early distribution penalty of 10% applies – in addition to any taxes owed on the distribution. However, there are...

SECURE 2.0 MODIFIES RULES FOR SPECIAL NEEDS TRUSTS

By Sarah Brenner, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The SECURE Act changed the game for inherited IRAs. For most beneficiaries, the stretch IRA is gone and has been replaced by the 10-year payout rule. However, the SECURE Act carved out some rules...

IRA RMD AGE MADE EASY

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport A ton of questions on this topic have come across our desks, and we have seen swirling, hypnotizing spirals in the eyes of many an advisor. I can only imagine what the general public is...

SECURE 2.0 CHANGES ALREADY IN EFFECT

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The SECURE 2.0 Act, enacted into law on December 29, 2022, makes over 90 changes to the IRA and employer plan tax rules. If that isn’t enough, many of these provisions aren’t immediately effective and...

ROTH-O-MANIA!

By Sarah Brenner, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport SECURE 2.0 is now the law of the land and one thing is very clear. Roth-O-Mania is here! In their quest for more revenue, Congress has created more options to save with Roth accounts. These...

529 PLANS AND ROTH IRAS: TODAY'S SLOTT REPORT MAILBAG

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: Hello Ed, I have a question concerning Secure 2.0 pertaining to transferring “leftover” 529 plan account balances into a Roth IRA, beginning 2024. If I have no income in 2024, can I...

SECURE 2.0 ELIMINATES RMDS ON ROTH PLAN DOLLARS IN 2024

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport If a person has a Traditional IRA and is of the age when lifetime required minimum distributions (RMDs) apply, then that person must withdraw a portion of that account annually. The amount to...

SECURE 2.0 ALLOWS ROLLOVERS OF 529 FUNDS TO ROTH IRAS

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport We’re getting a lot of questions about the SECURE 2.0 provision allowing tax-free rollovers from 529 plans to Roth IRAs. Although this new rollover opportunity sounds exciting, there are a number of...

QCDS AND 60-DAY ROLLOVERS: TODAY'S SLOTT REPORT MAILBAG

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: I am confused regarding the requirements for making a qualified charitable distribution. Is it necessary for the donation to be sent directly from the financial...

WHO CAN DELAY THEIR RMD UNDER SECURE 2.0?

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport One of the provisions of the recently passed SECURE 2.0 that has gotten the most attentions is the one that allows some retirement account owners to delay their required...
Building emergency savings is a top financial resolution for 2023, survey finds. Here’s how to get started

Building emergency savings is a top financial resolution for 2023, survey finds. Here’s how to get started

KEY POINTS Increasing emergency savings is a top financial goal for many Americans heading into 2023, a new survey finds. Here’s how to increase the cash you have set aside. When it comes to financial resolutions for 2023, there’s one goal at the top of many people’s...

RMDS UNDER SECURE ACT 2.0: TODAY'S SLOTT REPORT MAILBAG

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Question: On reading your SECURE 2.0 information, a revised RMD (required minimum distribution) to age 73 was mentioned. Prior to this new legislation, 72 was the RMD age. If this is in effect now in...

SECURE 2.0 CHANGES THAT APPLY TO WORKPLACE PLANS

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport In our December 28 and January 2 Slott Report articles, we focused mostly on the provisions of the new SECURE 2.0 law that apply to IRAs. But many of the law’s changes are directed towards workplace...

TOP TAKEAWAYS FROM SECURE 2.0 FOR 2023

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The year 2023 has arrived. It is a new year, and we have new rules for retirement accounts thanks to SECURE 2.0 which Congress passed in the waning days of last year. SECURE...

RANDOM REAL-LIFE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Each day we receive dozens of retirement-related questions from advisor members of the Ed Slott Elite IRA Advisor Group. Conversations range from incredibly complex to obscure to, “I just need...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! CONGRESS GIFTS SECURE 2.0

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport This holiday season Congress has given us SECURE 2.0. With no time to spare to avoid a government shutdown, they passed the $1.7 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act of...

CONGRESS CONSIDERS SPENDING BILL THAT INCLUDES SECURE 2.0

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport As you may have read, Congress is considering passage of a $1.65 trillion spending bill that contains a number of retirement savings plan provisions. As of this morning (December 21), the bill has not...

10 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport A repair man is currently fixing the sliding glass door on the back of my house. The track is worn and the rollers need replacing. No small task. The doors weigh a ton, you need one of those...

4 IRA TASKS TO GET DONE BY YEAR END 2022

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The year 2022 is coming to a close. The holidays season is upon us. That means that the clock is ticking on year-end IRA deadlines. Be sure to get the following four...

BIG INCREASE IN MANY 2023 RETIREMENT PLAN CONTRIBUTION LIMITS

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport The IRS has announced the retirement contribution limits for 2023. Because many of these limits are tied to inflation, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some of the limits had a big jump. Here’s a...

AUTOMATIC WAIVER OF 50% PENALTY FOR MISSED YEAR-OF-DEATH RMD

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport At this time of year, financial articles typically cover festive topics with creative holiday metaphors. “Stuff Your Stocking with These Year-End Retirement Tips” or, “Stay Off Santa’s Naughty...

TAKE OUR RMD QUIZ

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport If you have an IRA, you should know that the funds that are in the account can’t stay there forever. The rules say that you must begin to take required minimum distributions...

A REFRESHER COURSE ON MULTIPLE PLAN CONTRIBUTION LIMITS

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport As you’ve probably heard, the IRS has announced the IRA and workplace plan contribution limits for 2023. Because most of those limits are tied to inflation, many increased substantially. Among the big...

IRA RULES THAT WE GIVE THANKS FOR IN 2022

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport It is a Thanksgiving tradition here at the Slott Report to take a moment to give thanks for the IRA rules that are helpful to retirement savers. We know there are many times...

DEADLINE FOR OPENING UP A NEW SOLO 401(K) PLAN

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport A solo 401(k) plan is a great retirement savings vehicle for self-employed business owners with no employees (other than their spouse). But if you’re considering a new solo 401(k), be aware that...

NUA – TRIGGER ACTIVATORS!

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst The goal of the net unrealized appreciation (NUA) tax strategy is to enable a person to pay taxes on the appreciation of company stock formerly in a work plan at long term capital gain rates as opposed to ordinary income rates. The...

IRA TRANSACTIONS THAT CAN BE MISSED

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Not every IRA transaction is easily identifiable. Some require a little legwork to reveal or report what occurred. Some transactions are not even labeled on official IRS tax forms and can go...

THE REQUIRED BEGINNING DATE IS NOW A “REALLY BIG DEAL”

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport When it comes to IRAs and workplace plans, the concept of the “required  beginning date” (RBD) is a “really big deal” again. The RBD is the first date you’re required to start required minimum...

A TAX-FREE ROTH IRA DISTRIBUTION IN 5 EASY STEPS

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport Roth IRAs offer a trade-off where you pay taxes now on your contribution (or conversion) in exchange for tax-free earnings later. Don’t miss out on tax-free Roth IRA...