Articles

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF®IRA Analyst If a person under age 59½ takes a withdrawal from his IRA or workplace plan, there is a 10% early withdrawal penalty…unless an exception applies. There are currently 20 exceptions, with a 21st on the way. Here are those exceptions,...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst   We continue to get lots of questions about the new “super catch-up” contribution for retirement plan and SIMPLE IRA participants who are ages 60-63. Here are answers to your top 12 questions: 1. When does the super catch-up...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst QUESTION: I cannot find the indexed number for IRA bankruptcy protection for 2025-2028. It is $1,512,350 currently, but it is scheduled to increase on April 1, 2025. Do you know what it will be? Mike ANSWER: The updated IRA...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education The arrival of the SECURE Act means the end of the stretch IRA for many beneficiaries. Instead, a 10-year payout rule applies for most IRAs inherited by non-spouse beneficiaries. However, the SECURE Act does allow...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst   Here is an all-too-common situation that seems counterintuitive: A participant in a 401(k) retires and must take his required minimum distribution (RMD). This person requests that his entire 401(k) plan balance be directly...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Question: Hi, In a recent blog post, you addressed the complicated rules for a 401(k) to Roth IRA rollover. I have a similar question as it relates to a pre-tax IRA conversion to a Roth IRA. My client is a 95 year-old woman who has a...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Everyone knows that April 15, 2025, is the deadline for filing 2024 income tax returns. But April 15 is also a crucial deadline if you made too many 401(k) deferrals in 2024. If you don’t fix the error by that date, the tax consequences...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education   Do you have a Roth IRA? If you do, there will very likely come a time when you want to take a distribution from that account. The distribution rules for taxation of Roth IRA distributions can be complicated,...

  By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Question: Hello, If a person is turning 73 years old in March, s/he would be required to take required minimum distributions for the year. Can a person do Roth Conversion prior to turning age 73 (say in February)?  Does the...

  By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst I appreciate it when reputable financial advisors fight for their clients. It is a pleasure to see a well-educated, experienced professional leave no stone unturned when it comes to helping someone through a problematic...