Blogs
“Third-Party Posts”
5 Dos and Don’ts When Lending Money to Loved Ones
Helping friends or family shouldn’t mean hurting your finances Let’s face it: Money is tight for many people. And if you have loved ones in your life who are struggling...
11 Mistakes Retirees Make at the Supermarket
It’s not just inflation. Your bad habits may explain why you’re paying too much for groceries. Retirees living on fixed incomes have been feeling the pinch of rising...
Retire with confidence: Master your finances and lifestyle
Discover steps to help you prepare for retirement Imagine this: After decades of hard work and dedication, you’re just 12 months away from the retirement of your...
7 Strategies for More Income in Retirement
“Old age is always fifteen years older than I am.” —Bernard Baruch, American financier, investor, statesman and philanthropist One of the biggest fears people have is...
How an annuity can help as you plan for retirement
As you approach retirement, you may be wondering what are the next steps for your investments. An annuity may be an effective tool for you in retirement planning by...
9 Ways Retirement Will Be Different in 2025
How changes in Social Security, Medicare, 401(k) contributions and more will affect your finances Retirement is not static. Even when the kids are gone and the career...
Important Tasks & Decisions for Each Phase of Retirement Planning
Important Tasks & Decisions for Each Phase of Retirement Planning Retirement. It tends to be a catch-all word that generally refers to the light at the end of the...
Retirement Challenges in 2025: Market Volatility, Inflation and Social Security
Inflation, uncertain markets and a limited Social Security COLA are among the financial hurdles for retirees in 2025. Key Takeaways High interest rates may complicate...
3 Social Security Changes Retirees Need to Know About in 2025
Key Points A modest cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will make benefit checks bigger. Note that higher earners will pay a bit more in Social Security taxes. Retirees...
Weekly Market Commentary
-Darren Leavitt, CFA It's been a difficult month for investors, and sentiment indicators tell that story. Wall Street appeared poised to build on the prior week's...
Weekly Market Commentary
-Darren Leavitt, CFA The S&P 500 avoided a fifth straight week of losses as investors continued to assess the impact of Trump’s policies. A late rally on Friday...
Weekly Market Commentary
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Investors endured the fourth consecutive week of losses in US equity markets as concerns around tariffs and their impact on the economy continued...
Weekly Market Commentary
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Economic growth concerns weighed on US financial markets as manic trade policy fostered uncertainty and volatility. It was a hectic week as...
Weekly Market Commentary
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Growth concerns entered the market narrative as investors continued to look at policy uncertainties on tariffs and the strains on geopolitical...
Weekly Market Commentary
-Darren Leavitt, CFA The holiday-shortened week saw the S&P 500 hit all-time highs, but late in the week, the move abruptly succumbed to consolidation pressure....
Weekly Market Commentary
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Despite all of the uncertainties within the investment landscape, global markets were able to post nice gains last week. Fourth-quarter earnings...
Weekly Market Commentary
-Darren Leavitt, CFA Uncertainty about global trade continued to be at the top of investors' minds as Trump announced 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada while levying 10%...
Weekly Market Commentary
Darren Leavitt, CFA US financial markets were extremely busy last week as a rush to download a Chinese AI platform called Deep Seek from Apple’s App Store seemingly...
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First RMD Year and Roth IRA 5-Year Period: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Question: Our client is 75 years old. He just retired on January 1, 2025. The company has recognized his retirement date as being...
How the Compensation Limit Affects Retirement Plan Benefits
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Many retirement plans base employer contributions on employee compensation. For many years, Congress has limited the compensation...
New Reporting for 2025 QCDs
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education The IRS has introduced a new code for the reporting of qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) by IRA custodians...
Roth Conversions and 401(k) Distributions: This Week’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Question: Since I retired in 2020, each year I have been converting amounts from my employer plan to my Roth IRA....
Check Both Boxes for Tax-Free Roth IRA Earnings
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Roth IRAs follow strict distribution ordering rules. Contributions come out first, then converted dollars, and then earnings. It...
How Plan After-Tax Contributions Are Taxed When Converted
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst The April 23, 2025, Slott Report article, “After-Tax 401(k) Contributions Shouldn’t Be an Afterthought,” discusses how 401(k)...
Roth IRAs and Required Minimum Distributions: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst QUESTION: My wife and I created a Roth IRA when our two children were young to pay for their college education. Our daughter is...
Basis In Your Traditional IRA
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education While most distributions from a traditional IRA are taxable, sometimes distributions can include after-tax...
72(t): Switching Methods in a Market Downturn
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst When a person under the age of 59½ needs access to his IRA dollars, there is a 10% early withdrawal penalty applied to any...