If you’re over 72 with an IRA, make sure you do this before the year ends

If you’re 72 or older, you have a crucial financial deadline approaching. By year-end, owners of individual retirement accounts (IRAs) who are 72 or older must take their required minimum distribution...

Tax deadlines for retirees: do this before the year ends

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for holiday cheer – and last-minute tax tips.  Retirement Tip of the Week: As we approach the new year, look for tax-advantageous strategies to cut your tax bi...

Dear Tax Guy: ‘I’ve accumulated a lot of junk.’ I plan to make $6,000 selling stuff on eBay. Can I put it into an IRA instead of paying income tax?

I am retired with Social Security and a state pension. Over the last 30 years I’ve accumulated a lot of “junk” from eBay EBAY, +0.17%. Now, I’m also trying to clean out my house, and sell it at cost o...

How to Keep Your Retirement on Track in an Unpredictable Market

Retirees and investors on the cusp of retirement are under stress this year. Inflation has spiked to multidecade highs, stocks have tumbled, and bonds—a haven in normal times—have slumped. The traditi...

How $10,000 now will help my newborn granddaughter have a better retirement

Earlier this month, my wife and I were delighted to welcome a new granddaughter into the world, and we wanted to give her the very best gift that we could. My readers won’t be surprised to learn that ...

Genius or Jackass, Musk Stirs the Pot

To the Editor:Your timely analysis of Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase doesn’t consider one important factor: the millions of potential users who will enthusiastically embrace a free-speech platform uncon...

Should I do a Roth conversion to offset stock losses?

Q.: Dear Dan, We have roughly $45,000 in short-term & long-term losses this year from our brokerage accounts. Is the best move to sell some of our positive stock positions in our brokerage account...

Opinion: Forget the $22,500 limit, some workers can supersize their tax-deferred retirement savings up to $265,000 in 2023

If you really want to rev up your retirement savings and minimize income taxes, the best thing to be is a late-career professional in private practice. When you’re making a lot of money and are close ...

RMDs Will Be a Heavy Lift for Those Who Delayed Them

Retirees who have postponed taking this year’s required minimumdistributions (RMDs) from their 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts face a bitter task before year-end: withdrawing assets when po...

IRS sets new 401(k) limits — investors can save a lot more money in 2023

People can contribute up to $22,500 in 401(k) accounts and $6,500 in IRAs in 2023, the IRS said Friday. For 401(k)s, that’s an almost 10% increase from 2022’s contribution limit of $20,500. For IRAs, ...

Investors can contribute up to $22,500 in a 401(k) and $6,500 in IRAs in 2023

If you’re eager to save more for retirement in 2023, there’s good news from the IRS: higher limits for your annual 401(k) plan and individual retirement account contributions. The employee...

How to save a bundle on your tax return

This is Part Two of our list of suggested year-end strategies. Part 1 discusses gaming the federal standard deduction, and managing capital gains and losses. The tax environment is getting friendlier ...

Beneficiaries of Inherited Retirement Accounts Dodge a Tax Bullet

New legislation related to taxes can come with plenty of ambiguities and complexities, but the IRS often irons them out in the regulations it proposes.  Al Drago/Bloomberg Sometimes these efforts fail...

IRS delays rules for some inherited retirement accounts until 2023

Zinkevych | iStock | Getty Images If you inherited a retirement account in 2020 or 2021, the IRS is waiving penalties for some heirs who needed to start taking required minimum distributions right awa...

Roth IRA and Roth 401(k): the world would be a better place without them

One can make a strong case for getting rid of the Roth version of both 401(k)s and IRAs. While having two forms of retirement saving is lovely for young professionals who know their tax rates will be ...

Thinking about a Roth conversion? If you have an IRA, consider this ‘bear market bonus’

If you’ve been thinking about converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, here’s the good news: This year’s market turmoil may be giving you a golden opportunity to do it. That’s because the stocks an...

Here’s why the $39 trillion U.S. retirement system gets a C+ grade

Siriporn Wongmanee / Eyeem | Eyeem | Getty Images The U.S. retirement system may seem flush — yet it ranks poorly in relation to those in other developed nations. Collectively, Americans had more than...

IRS Says It Exposed Some Confidential Taxpayer Data on Website

WASHINGTON—The Internal Revenue Service inadvertently posted what is normally confidential information involving about 120,000 individuals before discovering the error and removing the data from its w...

401(k)s Shouldn’t Be Neglected When Switching Jobs. Here’s What to Consider.

Many workers changing jobs in the wake of the pandemic—whether it’s for more money, better advancement opportunities, or flexible scheduling—risk overlooking one important factor: their retirement sav...

Should You Do a Roth Conversion? How It Can Help With Your Taxes.

The first half of this year marked the worst performance for the S&P 500 since 1970. With inflation soaring and interest rates rising, the index posted a loss of 20.6%.  The dire sentiment may hav...

‘I’m in a very lucky position’: I will receive a $300,000 inheritance. Should I pay off my mortgage or invest the money?

I currently owe $300,000 on my house with a 2.5%, 30-year mortgage. I am maxing out my retirement accounts — IRA and 401(k) — and looking to retire in less than 10 years. I will receive an inheritance...

IRS Changes Guidelines for Inherited IRAs, Causing Confusion and Pushback

Figuring out the most efficient way to navigate the tax impact of inheriting individual retirement accounts has become more complicated since the Internal Revenue Service issued proposed new rules in ...

Should you roll over your 401(k) to an IRA? Here are 3 tips for this key retirement decision.

In his classic tune “Roll Over Beethoven,” Chuck Berry famously belted: “Roll it over then move on up.” Well, if you’ve saved for years in a 401(k) plan, you’ll want to know how — or whether — to roll...

5 Common Questions About RMDs in Retirement

Required minimum distributions have been in the news lately as Congress works to pass the Secure Act 2.0, which would raise the age at which seniors must begin making withdrawals from employer-sponsor...

The Bear Market Has Brought ‘Fear and Uncertainty’ for Gen Z. How They’re Coping.

Ella Gupta made her first investment when she was 10. With the help of her parents, she took half the profits of her bracelet-making business and invested in the stock market. At 14, she opened a Roth...

Raymond James’ Darren Coleman: How I Serve Cross-Border U.S.-Canada Clients

Americans mulling a move to Canada might think the financial transition would be a piece of cake. After all, both countries are democracies with advanced banking systems. What could go wrong? Actually...

Paid Off College and the Mortgage? Here’s How to Allocate Your Freed Up Cash.

Retirement savers who’ve paid off their mortgage or have made their last college payment should take a moment to celebrate. Then they should get busy putting their newfound windfall to work.  Given th...

The DOL has a new IRA rollover rule for advisers to follow

IRA rollovers are common, whether they’re from an old 401(k) or just one account to another, but a newly implemented Department of Labor rule says financial advisers suggesting the move have some expl...

Watch out — this one mistake could cost you thousands when you rollover your 401(k) to an IRA

Here’s a pro tip that can hardly be said often enough. When you change jobs and you think about rolling over your old company’s 401(k) to an IRA…watch out for all the extra fees. “Thousands of dollars...

How to Minimize Your Heirs’ Tax Burden on Inherited IRAs and 401(k)s

The stretch-IRA strategy largely went away after the Secure Act of 2019, leaving heirs less maneuverability on taxes. Financial pros have some solutions. Illustration by Barron’s: Dreamstime(5) ...

Should You Roll Over Your 401(k) to an IRA? It Can Cost You Tens of Thousands.

Text size Retirement savers would do well to check the fees on fund holdings in 401(k) accounts held at former employers before rolling over to an IRA. Workplace savings plans tend to have more favora...