Are your clients making decisions about their IRAs without a basic knowledge of the IRA rules and possible consequences or opportunities that may result? Here are some IRA questions that they may not think to ask but would want you to answer.
Read MoreAlthough your organization may not be equipped to provide individualized financial advice, you can share general information about the advantages and disadvantages of three common tax-advantaged savings accounts.
Read MoreHow does your client determine whether Traditional IRA contributions are deductible? What options does your client have when Traditional IRA contributions are partially deductible? Are there special considerations for IRA owners age 70½ or older?
Read MoreCerulli Associates recently released a report entitled U.S. Retirement Markets 2020. This article focuses on selected IRA and HSA findings from this report.
Read MoreProhibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 outlines the factors that determine whether financial professionals are considered fiduciaries and gives clear guidance about how fiduciaries must comply with their responsibilities when providing investment services.
Read MoreThese regulations—when made final—may clarify the interplay between the new mandatory 60-day postponement rule and existing disaster relief. But practically, not much is likely to change. The IRS will continue to exercise its considerable authority to postpone tax-related deadlines. Postponements will generally continue to exceed 60 days. And individuals will still rely on the IRS to identify which disasters and tax-related items will qualify for deadline postponement.
Read MoreIRS final regulations giving retirement plan participants more time to roll over qualified plan loan offsets were released in December 2020.
Read MoreWhat 2021 will bring is yet to be determined. There is optimism, however, that one or more retirement or health savings-focused bills could be enacted in 2021. Several that were introduced during the past two years will likely be re-introduced in the 117th Congress.
Read MoreThe Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, was signed on December 27, 2020. Although there is no broad employee benefit relief, the Act contains some provisions—coronavirus- and non-coronavirus-related—that pertain to retirement and health savings plans.
Read MoreThose who fail to complete a rollover within the required 60-day timeframe may wonder if there’s any relief from the 60-day limitation. In certain circumstances, the IRS does provide some relief—an extension, more or less—in the form of a written self-certification.
Read MoreWhen an IRA is forgotten or abandoned, it can prove problematic from an administrative perspective for IRA custodians, trustees, and issuers. What can these organizations do when this occurs? Can they legally “shed” these IRAs that are owned by unresponsive individuals?
Read MoreThe IRS announced an extension of time to complete certain time-sensitive, tax-related acts for victims of Hurricane Zeta.
Read MoreIRA, retirement plan, and HSA distributions must be reported to account owners and to the IRS by January 31. Follow these charts to be sure that the required distribution information is being entered correctly.
Read MoreCan an IRA owner roll over a distributed 2020 RMD? Does an IRA beneficiary have to satisfy a year-of-death RMD for 2020? Does an IRA owner have to take an RMD for 2020—despite the waiver—before converting to a Roth IRA in 2020?
Read MoreThe DOL issued a new prohibited transaction exemption that maintains the impartial conduct standard in effect since 2018 for financial advisors and retail investors to adhere to.
Read MoreThe IRS recently published final regulations updating the life expectancy tables that are used for required minimum distributions and other purposes. Although not applicable until 2022, find out how the new life expectancy figures may affect your clients so your organization can prepare to accommodate its administrative system for the changes.
Read MoreRecent IRS guidance addresses reporting and withholding issues related to escheatment of retirement plan assets. This guidance also adds receipt of escheated funds to the list of approved reasons for individuals to self-certify that they qualify for the 60-day rollover waiver.
Read MoreOne of the most difficult aspects of reporting IRA and retirement plan distributions is determining the proper distribution code(s) to enter in Box 7 on IRS Form 1099-R. We’ve called out each distribution code that may apply and explained when to use each.
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