Individual Retirement Accounts - IRAs
Strategies for maximizing your Individual Retirement Account (IRA’s) Investments, Tax Savings and Timing of Required Minimum Distributions
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What Heirs Should Know About IRAs
Some of the biggest mistakes with IRAs are made after they pass to the second generation of owners. Heirs routinely lose a large percentage of inherited IRAs to unnecessary taxes. The rules are simple. But they aren’t obvious and most heirs don’t know about them or know to ask about them. If you don’t want […]
Key IRA Decisions for 2007
IRA owners can squeeze significant additional after-tax dollars out of their accounts – if they plan carefully. In addition to the usual planning strategies, there are new IRA opportunities available in the next few years. The Pension Plan Protection Act of 2006 created a charitable giving opportunity for some IRA owners. We covered this after […]
Should You Choose a Regular 401 K or Roth 401 K
Many employees have a new retirement-saving option, and many more will have that option over the next year or two. Should you take this option? In addition to regular 401(k) plans, employers now can offer Roth 401(k)s. The rules are very simple. There is no tax break for deferring salary into the Roth 401(k); it […]
On Having Unconventional Investments in IRAs
Many of us have a large percentage of our investment assets in IRAs. We can choose between traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs. But most IRAs can be invested only in traditional assets, such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. The trend for investors now is to add non-traditional assets to their portfolios. With the right […]
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New Estate Planning Rules on IRAs and Trusts
The IRS recently made it easier to use a trust with your IRA to protect assets for future generations. You still should use an Estate Planning attorney to ensure things are done properly, but the new ruling adds more certainty than we had in the past. The type of trust people most often want to […]
Inheriting 401(k) Plans has become Easier
Income taxes are likely to be lower for many who inherit 401(k) plan accounts and other employer retirement plan accounts, thanks to the pension reform law the President signed into law in August. The law puts non-spouses closer to an equal footing with spouses who inherit the accounts. Employers are not required to give heirs […]
How to Plan for New IRA Benefits in 2010
Retirement account owners, especially up-per income owners, will receive significant new tax benefits in 2010. These benefits can be maximized if a plan is established now and actions are taken over the next few years. Two tax benefits begin in 2010, if Congress does not change the law. The first benefit is the repeal of […]
Nine Important Questions to Ask IRA Custodians
IRA custodians are not all the same. Most people know that and do some comparison shopping before they select a custodian. The comparisons usually end with fees and investment choices. But other IRA issues can matter more and can dramatically affect the percentage of your IRA that benefits your heirs. A custodian needs to be […]
