IRA BLOG

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst QUESTION: My wife has two after-tax traditional IRAs at two separate institutions. We are hoping to consolidate them, then convert to a Roth in the next 18 months. She is already retired. She also has an inherited IRA (from her...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst One of the more controversial rules in the 2022 SECURE 2.0 Act is the requirement that plan catch-up contributions by certain highly-paid employees be made on a Roth basis. Last Friday, (January 10, 2025) the IRS issued proposed...

We are two weeks into 2025. Have you been following through on your New Year’s resolutions? As our readers already know, for an IRA owner not to follow through on his or her annual check up of beneficiary forms could have dire consequences. Repeat after me: In 2025, I...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Question: I am planning for a required minimum distribution (RMD) from both my IRA and 403(b) plan for 2026, my first RMD year. I am in the third year of a 10-year period in which I am rolling over 10% of my 403(b) funds each year to my...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst When the ball dropped in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, a number of new retirement account provisions became effective. We’ve previously written about each of these new rules in The Slott Report. This article will serve as a checklist,...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education   The year 2025 is upon us! There is no doubt that this will be an eventful time for retirement accounts. As the new year kicks off, here is what we are talking about now at the Slott Report. 1. Increased...

  By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education   Question: Hello, Our daughter (age 50) is the sole beneficiary of her husband’s (age 52) IRA due to his death in April 2024. Is there a time limit for when she must either take ownership or roll it...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst   I counted them. This year the Slott Report published 101 blog articles. While other sites add “pay-for-content” firewalls, we continue to pump out incredibly valuable and important information, week after week, totally free...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst   This is the time of year for good cheer and holiday wishes. In keeping with those traditions, here are some cheers and wishes for the IRS and Congress: Cheers to the IRS: Yes, it did take the IRS 4½ years to issue final required...

  By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst   QUESTION: If a client opens an IRA at age 75 and makes a contribution this year, this account would not have a required minimum distribution (RMD) for 2024, correct? Since the IRA did not exist last year, there is no...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education   The IRA rollover rules are always tricky. However, if you are rolling over an IRA distribution when the calendar year changes, the rules can become especially challenging. Here are four things you need to...

  By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Tis the season for giving, and qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) are a popular way to donate to a favorite charity. However, rules must be followed. In a recent Slott Report entry (“QCD Timing,” December 4), I...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education   Question: Can a person do a rollover from both his traditional AND Roth IRAs in the same twelve months? Best regards, Matthew Answer: Hi Matthew, The once-per-year rollover rule restricts an individual from...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education   The holidays are upon us. There is shopping to do, gifts to wrap, and parties to attend. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the season, you may be forgiven if your retirement account is not at the top of your...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst   Question: If you continue to work past age 73, are you exempt from required minimum distributions (RMDs)? My 73 year-old wife is still working and contributing to her company’s 401(k), and she doesn’t own more than 5% of the...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst   Year after year, this topic continues to bubble up. Confusion exists over when a QCD can be done in relation to the RMD. Qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) can offset all or a portion of an RMD (required minimum...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst   Get ready! Several new 401(k) provisions from the SECURE 2.0 Act kick in on January 1, 2025. One that we’ve already written about is the ability of employees to make extra catch-up contributions in a year they turn age 60, 61, 62...

Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Each year it is a Thanksgiving tradition here at the Slott Report to take a moment to give thanks for the rules that are helpful to retirement savers. There are many times when rules governing retirement accounts can...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst   When an IRA owner dies, what is the payout schedule for the beneficiary? The key to distinguishing the correct program (i.e., 10-year rule, stretch RMDs, 5-year rule, etc.) is to identify all the important variables. But...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst   QUESTION: Hello Ed Slott Team, We have a client with an IRA who wants to do a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) to a charity. The charity also has an account with the same custodian of the IRA and has asked that the...