Mindful of cumbersome rules and the potential for blended-family feuds, advisers can help take the lead on keeping the peace ...

While it may sound like something that wouldn’t happen to someone who was careful, Hodges said he’s seen it himself when ...

Editor’s Note: The SECURE Act, enacted December 20, 2019, changed the required beginning date for required minimum distributions (RMDs) from age 70½ to age 72 (the change applies with respect to ...

In the complex world of estate planning, one critical element often flies under the radar: beneficiary designations. These seemingly simple lines on financial documents can make or break your intended ...

When it comes to financial planning, many people assume that certain strategies or tools are only for the wealthy. However, one crucial element that everyone, regardless of income level, should review ...

Beneficiaries of IRAs and other tax-deferred retirement accounts must take required minimum distributions. The class in which a beneficiary falls determines the RMD rules that apply to them. One of ...

When I meet with clients to discuss estate planning, I always explain that the documentation that we help put together for them does not override any previously designated beneficiaries on things like ...

Your friendly neighborhood branch banker suggests that you change all your accounts to either joint with your kids or to name your kids as beneficiaries on all your accounts (a “pay on death” ...

On July 19, 2024, the Internal Revenue Service released its long-awaited final regulations on required minimum distributions for individual retirement accounts and employer plans. Two of the key rules ...

There is a saying that the road to clarity begins with confusion. For your advisor’s sake, we hope that is true. The IRS issued Proposed Regulations on February 23, 2022 and they are quite extensive.

Year-end means required minimum distribution season, since that’s typically when clients take RMDs. But year-end is also when lots of costly RMD mistakes happen — costly because of the 50% penalty on ...

The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 allows states to establish an ABLE program to assist persons with disabilities in building up tax – free (or in some cases tax – deferred) ...