There are several prohibited transactions you must avoid as an IRA owner. A prohibited transaction occurs when an account owner uses IRA assets in a self-serving or self-dealing manner that improperly benefits him or her. If a prohibited transaction occurs, it can result in massive taxation and penalties. Learning more about what constitutes a prohibited […]
Did you know a Health Savings Account, or HSA, offers three different tax advantages? Contributions are deductible, earnings are tax-deferred while in the HSA, and distributions are tax-free when they are used for qualified medical expenses. If you’re enrolled in a high-deductible health insurance plan, you may want to consider contributing to an HSA. Keep […]
Last week, there was some good news and some notable news. Here’s the good news: Corporate earnings have been strong. As of July 20, 17 percent of the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index had reported second quarter results. More than 85 percent of those companies reported positive earnings surprises, according to FactSet, […]
Naming the beneficiaries of your retirement assets may seem like an obvious task to complete as you plan for the future, but it is often also one of the most overlooked. Failing to properly update your beneficiary forms can compromise the legacy you worked so hard to build. To help ensure your assets are handled […]
Are you under age 59½ and looking for a way to withdraw from your IRA without being hit with the 10% early distribution penalty? A 72(t) payment schedule may be the solution. 72(t) payments are a series of substantially equal periodic payments made from an IRA that can be used to avoid the 10% early […]
Funding a Health Savings Account, or HSA, is a great way to save and pay for qualified out-of-pocket medical expenses. But are you familiar the withdrawal rules that come with these accounts? The penalty for failing to follow HSA distribution rules can result in you not only having to pay income tax on the entire […]
The words ‘bear market’ have been bandied about a lot lately. When you read or hear them, remember to respond the same way you would if you saw an actual bear in the woods – by staying calm and keeping your wits about you. A changing bond market environment creates challenges for investors and financial […]
Leaving a legacy to your loved ones may be important to you, but when the time comes for your beneficiaries to receive your IRA assets, are you confident they will use their inheritance in a way that you’d want them to? There are options available for you to have varying levels of control over how […]
“There’s no place like home.”1 Conjuring an image of ‘home’ was a lot easier for Dorothy than it is for people who are on the cusp of retirement. After all, isn’t retirement supposed to be a new start? Aren’t retirees supposed to wave goodbye to friends and family as they head for new adventures in […]