When an IRA owner dies, the assets are distributed to beneficiaries, whether named by the IRA owner or determined by IRA document defaults. This can sometimes be a complicated process for financial organizations. And further complications may arise when the original beneficiary dies, leaving the inherited IRA to a successor beneficiary.
Read MoreHealth savings accounts (HSAs) are designed to help people pay for qualified medical expenses, so it’s no surprise that there’s a lot of money going in and out of these accounts. To make it easier for account owners to pay for things like prescriptions or doctor visits, many financial organizations offer HSA debit cards or checks. While these tools add convenience, they can also create problems, especially when they lead to negative balances.
Read MoreEveryone loves a good summer to-do list and we’re here to help. It’s the perfect time to survey your IRA department and see how you’re doing and what can be improved or implemented.
Read MoreJust like Traditional IRA owners, an individual with a SEP plan can delay taking his first RMD until April 1 of the year after he attains age 73. This date is known as the required beginning date (RBD). But remember—if the SEP plan owner or participating employee delays taking his first RMD until the following year, he will need to take out two RMDs in the same year: the RMD for year one and the RMD for year two.
Read MoreIn 2019, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act changed eligibility requirements so that employees who are credited with at least 500 hours in three consecutive years (beginning on January 1, 2021), must be allowed to participate under a 401(k) plan’s salary deferral provision.
Read MoreA financial organization monitors a client’s health savings account (HSA) contributions at a broad level and not specific to each client’s eligibility or coverage. This does not prevent clients from asking for help understanding their annual maximum contribution amount and how they might be permitted to split the family level contribution between spouses.
Read MoreAs your financial organization prepares to file Form 5498, IRA Contribution Information, to the IRS and send copies to your clients, it is a great time to familiarize yourself with what the form reports.
Read MoreMany employers believe that offering loans in qualified retirement plans is a major benefit. Participants have easier access to their savings, in case of an unexpected financial need, and the employer can elect to use payroll deductions to credit loan payments back to the participants’ accounts for administrative ease.
Read MoreThe IRS has issued Revenue Procedure 2025-19, providing inflation-adjusted amounts for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for calendar year 2026.
Read MoreAs health savings accounts (HSAs) become more popular, questions about how to correct errors also increase. One question financial organizations often receive is, “is this a mistaken distribution?”
Read MoreElecting a plan’s definition of compensation may be one of the most important elections in any plan document. The elections made will significantly affect the plan’s design and its operations.
Read MoreBuried within the newly released 2025 Form 1099-R instructions is a reporting change you may have missed, but one that is important to know about if you work with IRAs.
Read MoreIRAs and qualified retirement plans (QRPs) are intended to be used for retirement. Therefore, the tax laws and regulations encourage people to leave their money in an IRA or QRP until they retire. If distributions are taken from an IRA (including an IRA holding SEP contributions) or QRP before the account owner reaches age 59½, a 10 percent early distribution penalty tax is assessed on the taxable amount of the distribution, unless a penalty tax exception applies.
Read MoreAlthough multiple employer plans (MEPs) have been around for decades, they haven’t always had a starring role in the retirement industry. That, however, may be changing.
Read MorePower of attorney (POA) legal arrangements are becoming a prevalent tool that retirees use to manage their finances—including their IRA assets. Under such an arrangement, an individual—including an IRA owner—may grant to another the legal authority to act on his behalf in financial or other matters. To reduce liability, financial organizations should create a process for reviewing, accepting, and responding to a POA.
Read MoreIf a client has received an extension to file his taxes, he may believe that he has an extension to make a prior-year contribution. It is important to understand that a tax filing extension is not an extension to make a prior-year IRA contribution: it is only an extension to file the tax return. But other postponements may apply to some of your clients.
Read MoreWhen a business is acquired or sold, the employer’s business structure may change (e.g., a sole proprietorship may become a corporation); the employer may join or leave a controlled or affiliated service group; or the employer may change for one or more individuals. Such business transactions could affect many aspects of the business’s qualified retirement plan.
Read MoreCoverdell education savings accounts (ESAs) provide a unique savings vehicle with the potential to generate tax-free earnings to cover the costs for education.
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