Individual Retirement Accounts - IRAs
Strategies for maximizing your Individual Retirement Account (IRA’s) Investments, Tax Savings and Timing of Required Minimum Distributions
Found 395 Articles.
Get access to our full article archive by subscribing to Retirement Watch and Retirement Watch Spotlight Series.
Facts to Know Before Taking the Social Security Lump Sum Cash Option
The Social Security Administration still is doing a disservice by coaxing applicants into taking the optional lump sum cash payment when they sign up. The beneficiaries more than pay for it over the long term. The lump sum option isn’t new. But many applicants don’t know about it until the SSA offers it to them […]
6 IRA Moves to Take During 2023
The halfway point of 2023 has passed. This is a good time to plan how you’ll manage IRAs for the rest of the year. Don’t be like most people and scramble in November and December. Here are some key steps most people should consider. Donate via a QCD. A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) is the […]
Beware of Trusts as IRA Beneficiaries
It is now more dangerous to name trusts as IRA beneficiaries because of recent tax law changes, but there’s a valuable exception when the surviving spouse is the sole beneficiary of the trust. There always have been problems naming trusts as IRA beneficiaries when non-spouses are trust beneficiaries. The SECURE Act, enacted in 2019, increased […]
The Legacy IRA: The New $50,000 QCD for IRAs
The SECURE Act 2.0, enacted at the end of 2022, created a new type of qualified charitable distribution (QCD) that generally is being called the Legacy IRA. I’ve discussed QCDs in the past and consider them the best way for most people age 70½ or older to make charitable contributions. When you are 70½ or […]
SUBSCRIBE TO RETIREMENT WATCH
What you don’t know about retirement can hurt you. In fact, just a few wrong decisions in your investments, taxes, or estate planning could completely derail your retirement plans. Worse yet, the rules of the game keep changing, making it harder to keep up. For these reasons, I’ve assembled all the key points – everything you need to know — into one comprehensive report. Click here today for free access.
12 Essential Elements of a Successful Estate Plan
Estate planning is about more than taxes and wealth. A good estate plan protects your standard of living and quality of life while you’re alive and enhances your legacy. No matter the value of the estate, a successful estate plan includes certain key features. In the latest Retirement Watch Spotlight Series episode, I discuss the […]
8 Strategies for Turning RMDs Into Opportunities
Lifetime income taxes can be reduced substantially by using the right strategies to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from traditional IRAs and other qualified plans. In the March and April 2023 issues of Retirement Watch, I explained how the RMD rules can increase lifetime income taxes for traditional IRA owners and their families and discussed […]
Don’t Let the IRS Decide Your IRA Strategies
Most people with significant assets in IRAs and 401(k)s let Congress and the IRS determine their spending and distribution strate- gies. That’s a big mistake that can cost them and their families quite a bit of money. Most people don’t begin taking money out of their qualified retirement accounts until the required minimum distribution (RMD) […]
