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Individual Retirement Accounts - IRAs

Strategies for maximizing your Individual Retirement Account (IRA’s) Investments, Tax Savings and Timing of Required Minimum Distributions

Found 389 Articles.
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Expanding Your IRA Investment Universe

December 1, 2013

The investment universe is expanding for many IRA owners. Some uses of the accounts that are becoming more frequent are investing in a small business, either your own or that of a friend or relative, becoming a mortgage lender, buying real estate, and investing in gold, among many other investment options. Your IRA doesn’t have […]

Avoiding Taxes on Your IRA

November 1, 2013

Yes, your IRA could be hit with income taxes, even if it’s a Roth IRA. This is nothing new. The potential for an IRA or other qualified pension plan to owe taxes has been in the law for a long time. It hasn’t affected many investors, because it is only in the last few years […]

Ensuring Stretch IRAs for Beneficiaries

October 1, 2013

A goal of many IRA owners is to have their IRAs last the rest of their lifetimes and beyond. They’d like the IRAs to be inherited by loved ones and ultimately help fund the heirs own retirements or other needs. This goal is known as the Stretch IRA. The IRA’s life stretches for decades and […]

Reviewing Little-Known IRA Traps

September 1, 2013

IRAs seem to be simple things when we open them and begin annual contributions. Over time, as we move from the accumulation years, trickier rules kick in. This is where many people inadvertently lose portions of their nest eggs to taxes and penalties. Others simply miss opportunities they didn’t know were available. Here’s a review […]

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Turning RMD Pain into Gain

August 1, 2013

A fiscal pain for many retired Americans are required minimum distributions from traditional IRAs and other qualified retirement plans. Calculating the distributions and withdrawing the money are chores. People worry about making a mistake that will trigger the 50% penalty. The problems are likely to get worse in coming years as Congress grabs for more […]

Exiting 401(k)s: Facts and Scandal

July 1, 2013

The IRA and 401(k) industries were upended recently by a report from the Government Accountability Office. Investigators concluded that the process often is a mess when individuals are leaving an employer and need to decide how to handle their 401(k) accounts. The 401(k) rollover process is inefficient, and financial services firms that administer plans use […]

Holding Employer Stocks in 401(k)s

June 1, 2013

Employees who own company stock or other securities in their retirement plans should review their options. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 might have changed which is the best strategy for distributing the stock from the account. Many workers own shares of employer stock or other securities through 401(k) or other retirement plans. Few […]

Roth IRAs and the New Tax Law

May 1, 2013

Tax planning is less of a guessing game these days with the tax law settled, at least until Congress decides to push some kind of tax reform. In the wake of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, we need to revise and rethink some strategies about Roth IRAs, especially about converting traditional IRAs to […]

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