Roth 5-Year Rules and the Tax Planning Window: EDU #2513
March 26, 2025
Chris’s SummaryJim and I continue our review of interesting and sometimes confusing retirement planning facts, mostly drawn from Jim’s recent Ed Slott conference. We focus on the two Roth five-year rules and how they apply to Roth IRAs versus Roth 401(k)s. I explain the key distinctions between tax-free earnings and penalty-free access. Jim goes further into how “seasoning” from a...
Listen NowSocial Security Benefits, Roth Conversions, and Annuities: Q&A #2512
March 22, 2025
Jim and Chris discuss listener questions relating to Social Security strategies, spousal benefits, Roth conversions, and annuities. (8:15) George asks whether a widow who was widowed before age 60 has two Social Security claiming strategies available based on the FRA benefit of each spouse.(20:30) The guys address a question about how spousal benefits are calculated when one spouse took Social...
Listen NowThings That Make You Go Hmm – RMD Rules, IRA Mistakes, and Tax Court Surprises: EDU #2512
March 19, 2025
Chris’s Summary:This week’s EDU show is a throwback to an old favorite—things that make you go “hmm.” Jim brought back a list of oddities from the latest Ed Slott training, covering everything from RMD rules the IRS only recently addressed to real-world court cases involving bankruptcy, lottery tickets, and IRA self-dealing gone wrong. Turns out, there are plenty of IRA mistakes you can...
Listen NowSocial Security records, GPO, QCD Timing, Annuity Costs, and Excess IRA Contributions: Q&A #2511
March 15, 2025
Jim and Chris answer listener questions on Social Security records, GPO, QCD timing, annuity costs, and excess IRA contributions. (10:30) Georgette asks about fixing gaps in her Social Security record. (19:30) The guys discuss how a listener’s spousal Social Security benefits work after the repeal of GPO. (28:30) George seeks clarification on the timing of QCDs and RMDs. (53:30) Jim and...
Listen NowIRA Rules Quiz: EDU #2511
March 12, 2025
Chris’s Summary: Jim’s back from his conference and Jake joined the show again this week as we tackled the latest Ed Slott quiz. Unlike last time, Jim didn’t give us the book to reference—so Jake and I were going in cold. Jim also decided to test ChatGPT by giving it the entire quiz and the manual. With all that information, the AI was still imperfect. While seeing if we could outscore...
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