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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Fact and Fiction About Gold IRAs
Gold closed at 40 record highs in 2024 and has kept rolling higher so far in 2025. My readers are no strangers to gold, because it’s been in most of my recommended portfolios continuously since August 2017. A big question for many people is how to own gold, because there are many options. You’ve probably […]
IRAs, RMDs and Annuities
I frequently receive questions about how required minimum distributions (RMDs) are handled when a traditional IRA owns one or more annuities. The surge in questions on the topic isn’t surprising, because annuity sales climbed in recent years. More people in or near retirement want the safety and guaranteed lifetime income of annuities. Since a high […]
The RMD Trap and Why You Need to Avoid It
Year after year, I hear from retirees who weren’t aware of the required minimum distribution (RMD) trap until they were snared by it well into retirement. I’ve decided it should be included among the Stealth Taxes. All retirees and pre-retirees should know about the retirement tax ambush that Congress and the IRS have set for […]
Important Recent Changes to IRAs and Other Retirement Plans
Changes to IRAs and other qualified retirement plans came at us fast and furiously in recent years. Many people are confused about or unaware of key changes. This is a good time to take a breath, review the changes, and highlight some important points. The bulk of the recent changes were made in the SECURE […]
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Key Facts to Know About IRA Conversions in 2025
Converting traditional IRAs and 401(k)s to Roth IRAs remains an attractive and powerful strategy for many taxpayers in 2025. The decision of whether to convert a retirement account requires careful analysis. Many people leave a lot of money on the table by not doing a conversion when it would be beneficial, doing a conversion when […]
New Reasons a Trust Shouldn’t Be an IRA Beneficiary
You probably don’t want to name a trust as beneficiary of your traditional IRA. If a trust is a current beneficiary, consider making a change soon. There are several potential non-tax benefits to having a trust as IRA bene- ficiary. But, after the SECURE Act and IRS regulations under it, the negative tax consequences override […]
Key Rollover Mistakes You Must Avoid
Though the rollover is the most frequent IRA transaction, most people do only a few rollovers during their lifetimes. Consequences of this inexperience are that mistakes are made and people pay unnecessary taxes and penalties. A rollover from a 401(k) to an IRA, when done correctly, is tax free. But an attempted rollover done incorrectly […]
Should You Roll Over Your 401(k)? The Answer Might Be Changing
For many years, the best action to take with a 401(k) account when leaving an employer was to roll over the account to an IRA. Most people followed that advice. The rollover has been the most frequent IRA transaction, and rollover contributions exceed regular contributions by a significant amount. But the situation has been changing. […]
