By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst QUESTION: I’m age 72 and my wife is age 63. I want to open a spousal Roth IRA. I already have a Roth for myself that I’ve owned for more than 5 years. Would she have to wait 5 years before she can make a withdrawal without a...

  By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst A few Saturdays ago, many of us moved our clocks one hour ahead to usher in Daylight Saving Time. Adjusting our clocks is a reminder to review the confusing rules surrounding the Roth IRA distribution clocks. It’s no surprise that...

  By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education In these turbulent economic times, the headlines are full of news about layoffs. With job loss can come questions about what to do with retirement savings such as your 401(k) plan. A rollover to an IRA may...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst Question: Hello Mailbag Folks, I may have missed something in one of the Ed Slott newsletters, but I thought that if one contributed to a non-profit directly from an IRA account to the non-profit, the amount would not be taxed. I made my...

  By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst In our Slott Report entry from March 2 (“Fatal Error: Mistakes That Cannot Be Fixed – Part 1,”) we discussed three irreversible mistakes and the negative consequences of each. Despite any repercussions, certain IRA and...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst If you made excess deferrals to your 401(k) or 403(b) plan(s) in 2025, you need to correct the error while there’s still time. The deadline is April 15, 2026. If you don’t act before then, you’ll be double-taxed on the excess deferrals....

  By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Question: Is it wise to designate a grandchild as primary beneficiary for IRA accounts? Answer: You can choose to name whomever you want as your IRA beneficiary. If you want your IRA funds to go to your...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education These days many Americans are still working long beyond what has traditionally been retirement age. This may be by choice or by necessity. If this is your situation, you may be keeping funds in your employer plan...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst When a transactional mistake is made with retirement plan or IRA assets, there is oftentimes a mechanism to correct the error. For example, if too much money is contributed to an IRA, a person can leverage the excess contribution...