Health savings accounts (HSAs) have steadily grown in popularity over the past two decades, but data shows they’ve entered a new era. HSAs are no longer just about paying for today’s doctor visit. For financial organizations, HSAs represent both a client service opportunity and a business growth strategy that’s increasingly too significant to overlook.
Read MoreWhen it comes to saving for retirement, most people understand the basics. They set up an IRA, begin making contributions, and let the balance grow. The stumbling block tends to happen later, when it’s time to move those funds. That’s when your clients hear terms like “transfer” and “rollover,” and may end up doing the exact opposite of what they should.
Read MoreThe Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) 2.0 Act and Notice 2024-77 provide the latest official guidance on handling inadvertent benefit overpayments (IBOs). This guidance is crucial for plan sponsors to ensure compliance and avoid disqualification of their plans.
Read MoreThe backdoor Roth contribution works especially well if your client doesn’t have any other pretax assets in any Traditional (including those holding SEP assets) or SIMPLE IRAs.
Read MoreThe Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently released final regulations that provide insight on how to administer the catch-up contribution requirements under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0).
Read MoreFor many teens, those summer paychecks can be more than just spending money. They can actually be the key to starting one of the smartest financial habits around: contributing to a Roth IRA.
Read MoreA marriage begins with the intention that the relationship will endure—the reality of divorce and separation statistics notwithstanding—and that a couple’s retirement years will be spent together. Consequently, it’s easy to understand why laws give special consideration to spouses when it comes to their entitlement to financial resources intended to provide retirement security.
Read MoreIf your client owns a small business, they’re already juggling a lot. Between managing clients, balancing budgets, and keeping operations moving, retirement planning often falls to the bottom of the list. Yet choosing the right retirement plan can be a game changer, not just for the business owner, but for their employees as well.
Read MoreBoth the employer operating the SIMPLE IRA plan and the financial organization holding the SIMPLE IRA assets play a role in providing a summary description to employees.
Read MoreRetirement marks a major life transition—and with it comes a series of financial decisions that can shape your clients’ future. One of the most important choices individuals will face is what to do with money in a qualified retirement plan (QRP), such as a 401(k) or 403(b) plan. For many retirees, rolling those assets into an individual retirement account (IRA) offers flexibility, control, and long-term benefits.
Read MoreThe deadline for removing 2024 excess contributions and completing recharacterizations is on the horizon. An IRA owner has until his tax return due date, plus extensions, to remove an excess contribution or recharacterize a 2024 contribution.
Read MoreFinancial organizations are not required to send notices to clients or report to the IRS when an annual payment must be taken from an inherited IRA. The beneficiary is responsible for knowing and taking any required life expectancy payments.
Although not required, many financial organizations assist their clients with this calculation.
Read MoreMost pretax retirement savings are taxed as ordinary income, taxed at one’s marginal tax rate. But under specific circumstances employer securities can be taxed differently.
Read MoreIf you work with health savings accounts (HSAs), you already know the IRS wants a paper trail for just about everything. But sometimes the smartest (and most compliant) move is not reporting a transaction at all.
Read MoreThe SECURE 2.0 Act has brought significant changes to retirement planning—especially for retirees aged 72 and older. One of the most significant updates is the delay for retirees to take required minimum distributions (RMDs), which now begin at age 73 (age 75 in 2033). While this offers flexibility, it also introduces new challenges that retirees should understand.
Read MoreThe introduction of code Y has brought up a lot of questions. Here’s what we know so far, and what information we hope to see by the end of the year.
Read MoreThe One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), passed by Congress on July 3, 2025, introduces several significant changes aimed at enhancing retirement savings options and financial security for individuals. Here are the key provisions that retirement savers should be aware of.
Read MoreIronically, given their official name, SIMPLE IRA plans have a number of elements that are anything but simple. Congress has altered the governing rules from time to time over the last three decades. As a result, some would say that SIMPLE IRA plans—while still a fine small employer plan option—are getting less and less simple.
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