The Slott Report

Can an IRA be levied by IRS?The bad news is that, yes, it can be subject to an IRS levy. The good news is that such a levy will not be subject to the 10% early distribution penalty if you are under age 59 ½ at the time of the levy. The amount taken by IRS will be reported as a distribution to you and you will owe income tax on the amount taken by IRS.

Can you convert assets to a Roth 401(k)? We initially tackled this question in a September 22nd article. Well...you need an update.

Required minimum distributions (RMDs) start at age 70 ½ for all traditional IRA owners, including those who have SEP and SIMPLE IRAs set up through their employers - even if they are still working for those employers at the time.

I get this question frequently. Many of us are looking at working beyond the age of 70 ½. What required distributions (RMDs) do you have to take if you continue working?

Some taxpayers who did Roth conversions earlier this year have seen their account values drop. As a result, they are considering doing a recharacterization of their Roth back to an IRA. But maybe they should wait a while. Why? Maybe, if they wait long enough, the Roth account will recover and not need to be recharacterized. The better answer, however, lies in the rules for reconverting assets once they have been recharacterized.

This week the Ed Slott and Company IRA Discussion Forum featured a question on whether or not a trust as a SEP IRA beneficiary should be any different than it would be with a traditional IRA account. The answer to that question is not really, but the relationship between SEP IRAs and traditional IRAs can be a confusing one. Want to see how?

This week the Ed Slott IRA Discussion Forum featured a question on the recent Health Care Legislation. The new laws will impact IRAs in a number of ways, including a new 3.8% surtax. Curious as to how this new surtax could impact your IRA planning?

This week the Ed Slott and Company IRA Discussion Forum featured a question about the illiquid investments in an IRA and how they may affect RMDs. Do you have these types of investments in you IRA? Read on to find out some of the major items for which you need to be aware.

If you are doing a Roth conversion this year and you are age 70 ½ or older, the RMD must be taken before you do the conversion. The conversion is considered a distribution and RMD funds are considered to be the first funds distributed from the account. RMDs cannot be moved into the Roth IRA.

Required minimum distributions (RMDs) begin in the year you turn 70 ½. Not age 70 and not age 71 but age 70 ½. So who is age 70 ½ in 2010? If you were born from July 1, 1939 up through June 30, 1940 you will be 70 ½ this year. How do you know what age to use for calculating your RMD?