Found 32 Articles.
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The IRS turned IRA planning upside down with new regulations in January 2001 and again in 2002. The new rules might change whom you name as IRA beneficiaries. Much IRA planning used to involve minimizing required distributions by navigating the complicated tax rules. Now, we can plan differently. You can name the beneficiary that makes […]
IRAs are the most valuable assets in many estates, often exceeding the value of the family homes. Despite this, IRAs often don’t get the attention in estate planning that they should. Estate planning for IRAs requires more work and consideration than for most other assets. First, the IRA has to be fully integrated into your […]
Note: This article is an update of the article in the September 2001 Estate Watch and should be read together. Click here. You now can make your IRA last longer than ever. Thanks to final IRS regulations, account owners over age 70 1/2 are required to take less out of their IRAs or other qualified […]
Note: These regulations were updated ago about a year after this article. Please see the article in the June 2002 Grandkid’s Watch for an update on the final regulations. Click here. An important decision faces many of you. Make it carefully and the odds are greatly reduced that between estate taxes and income taxes the […]
An IRA often is one of the largest assets in an estate. Tax laws make it one of the most complicated. That’s why IRA planning is a critical element of many estate plans. If you have a large IRA are considering charitable gifts as part of your estate plan, review carefully the alternatives to find […]
Would you spend a minute or less deciding the fate of your most valuable asset? Do you want a mutual fund or other financial institution to make the decision? Most people actually spend less than a minute designating the beneficiaries for their IRAs or other qualified retirement plans. And they give little or no thought […]
New rulings from the IRS make it easier to preserve your IRA for a generation or more. Your children and grandchildren can use tax deferral even longer, and IRAs can be customized for each heir. But you have to take action to benefit from these rulings, and you should leave instructions for your heirs. Otherwise, […]
You can leave your heirs the gift of almost perpetual tax free growth. That’s not a small gift, and it is one your heirs are likely to appreciate as each year passes. It is easy to do, thanks to Congress, and it won’t cost you much. The vehicle you use to set up this tax-free […]
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