Who Must Take a 2024 RMD?

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...

QCD Timing

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...

New 401(k) Provisions That Become Effective in 2025

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...

What We Are Thankful for at The Slott Report

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...

So Many IRA Beneficiary Variables!

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...

Nothing SIMPLE About It: 3 Different Catch-Up Limits for 2025

Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Here’s something you can only find in the Internal Revenue Code: Starting in 2025, there will be not one, not two, but three different catch-up limits for older SIMPLE IRA participants. Like IRAs and workplace plans like 401(k)s, SIMPLE IRAs...

Tax-Free HSA Distributions

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education   Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) continue to become more popular. If you have a qualifying high deductible health plan, you may make deductible contributions to an HSA. Then, you can take tax-free...

Roth IRA Conversion Considerations

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst   Roth IRA conversions remain as popular as ever. However, based on some recent questions we’ve received, it is apparent that folks don’t fully understand all the nuances of this transaction. Here are some of the basic...

Annual RMDs For Certain Beneficiaries Kick in Soon

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst   The get-out-of-jail card that has allowed many IRA and plan beneficiaries to forego annual required minimum distributions (RMDs) is about to expire. Here’s some background: In its 2022 proposed regulations, the IRS took the...

Annual RMDs For Certain Beneficiaries Kick in Soon

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst   The get-out-of-jail card that has allowed many IRA and plan beneficiaries to forego annual required minimum distributions (RMDs) is about to expire. Here’s some background: In its 2022 proposed regulations, the IRS took the...

401(k) Contribution Limits Increase for 2025

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education   There is some good news for retirement savers! The IRS has released the cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for retirement accounts for 2025, and many of the dollar limit restrictions on retirement accounts...

Turn Your Clocks Back, and Pay Attention to the Roth IRA Clocks

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Don’t forget to turn your clocks back this weekend! With that reminder comes another: pay attention to the Roth IRA distribution clocks. The key point to remember is that there are two different clocks, each used for a different purpose....

3 IRA Tasks to Complete by the End of 2024

Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education   The year 2024 has flown by and the holidays season will soon be upon us. That means time is running out on year-end IRA deadlines. You will want to be sure to get the following three IRA-related tasks done...

The Zombie Rule

  By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst This article is NOT about the “ghost rule” applicable to non-living beneficiaries. That payout rule applies when a non-person beneficiary (like an estate) inherits an IRA when the original owner died on or after his required...