TCJA allows an extended period of time to rollover 401k loan distributions. This will help folks who have left a job with outstanding 401k loans
rollover
Rollover Risk
The idea of an IRA rollover, or a rollover IRA, isn’t necessarily a cosmic mystery – this happens all the time. You leave your job, and you rollover your 401(k) to an IRA. No problem, right? Unfortunately, there often are problems with the process of moving funds from one account to another – because there are a couple of very restrictive rules regarding how this process can and cannot be done. It’s not terribly complex, but you’d be surprised how easily these rules can trip you up. Rollover Risk Let’s start with a few definitions: A Rollover is when you take a distribution from one qualified plan or IRA custodian, in the form of a check made out to you, and then you re-deposit that check into another qualified plan or IRA account (at a different custodian). A Trustee-to-Trustee Transfer (TTT), even though it is often referred to as a […]
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
6 Year End Tips for a Financially Productive 2017
As 2016 comes to a close in a few weeks and we start into 2017, here are some good tips to consider to start 2017 off with some good strategies that will hopefully become habits. If you’re not doing so already, set up your payroll deductions to save the maximum to your 401k. There’s plenty of time to your payroll allocated so your deductions start coming out on the first paycheck in January. The 2017 maximum contributions are $18,000 for those under age 50 and $24,000 for those age 50 or older. To deduct the max, simply take the number of pay periods you have annually and divide it into your maximum contribution amount. This will allow you to save the maximum amount over 2017. Consider doing the same to maximize your IRA contribution. Those limits are $5,500 (under 50) and $6,500 (over 50) respectively. Check your allowances on your […]
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
Missed Rollover Automatic Waivers
When you rollover funds from one retirement plan to another, a missed rollover occurs if you can’t complete the rollover within 60 days. A missed rollover results in a taxable distribution. However, there have always been certain specific situations that provide for exceptions to this rule, but any reasons outside that limited list required the taxpayer to request a Private Letter Ruling (PLR) from the IRS. The PLR request process could result in some significant costs for lawyers and fees. Rev Proc 2016-47: Missed Rollover Waivers Recently the IRS published a new procedure for handling an expanded list of exceptions for a missed rollover. This procedure, Rev. Proc. 2016-47, outlines eleven possible exceptions to the missed rollover rule. The eleven exceptions are: an error was committed by the financial institution receiving the contribution or making the distribution to which the contribution relates; the distribution, having been made in the form of a check, was […]
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
Qualified Plan Rollovers
Combining and rolling over various retirement accounts is a decision that many individuals will face during their working career and in retirement. For individuals that are already retired, they may consider combining accounts to make required minimum distributions a bit easier (less paperwork, companies to deal with, etc.). Individuals that are still working may consider combining accounts as they switch jobs in an effort to consolidate plans from various employers to their IRA, Roth IRA or current employer plan. What follows are some considerations as well as a handy guide form the IRS regarding what rollovers and consolidations are allowed and specifics for each plan type. Be sure to check the fees of the plan you’re coming from to the plan you’re considering moving to. While consolidation may make sense, it may be a bad idea if the expenses of the plan and funds are higher in the plan you’re […]
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
Advice to the Masses May Not Apply to Individuals
Last week on my ride home from a meeting I had the opportunity to tune into a nationally syndicated talk show regarding personal finance. The host is very popular among listeners and has written several best sellers. Many churches and schools follow the financial program designed to educate individuals on how to set a budget, get out of debt and save for retirement. Generally, the advice given is applicable to many individuals. Sometimes it’s not. A listener called into the show and explained that she had approximately $100,000 in an annuity in an IRA. The annuity paid an interest rate of 2% and had a current surrender charge of 4% – just over $4,000. The caller was asking the host whether or not she should surrender the annuity and roll it over to a non-annuity IRA invested in mutual funds. In a matter of seconds the recommendation was to surrender […]
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
What Plans Can I Rollover My Retirement Plan To?
When you have a retirement plan, or many different types of retirement plan, you may be faced with decision-points when it would be helpful to rollover one plan into another plan. But do you know which type of plan I can rollover my retirement plan into? What follows is a description of the types of accounts that you can rollover each particular source account into, along with the restrictions for some of those accounts. The IRS also has a handy rollover chart which describes these rollovers in a matrix.
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
An Exception to the RMD Rule
For many folks, attaining age 70 ½ means the beginning of required minimum distributions (RMDs) from their 401k, 403b as well as traditional IRAs. There are however, some individuals that will continue to work because they want to or (unfortunately) have to and still want to save some of their income. At age 70 ½ individuals can no longer make traditional IRA contributions. They are allowed to make contributions to a Roth IRA as long as they still have earned income. Earned income is generally W2 wages or self-employment income. It is not pension income, annuity income or RMD income.
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
To Roll or Not to Roll?
At some point in almost everyone’s lifetime they have gone through the process of changing jobs. Many times those jobs offered retirement plans such as 401(k)s 403(b)s, etc. Conventional wisdom would say that for most employees it may make sense to roll their employer sponsored plan into an IRA. Based on a request from a reader (thanks David!), I thought I would go over some of the issues to consider before rolling your employer sponsored plan to an IRA.
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
RMD Avoidance Scheme: Birthdate Makes All The Difference
As you may recall from this previous article, it is possible to use a rollover into an active 401(k) plan as an RMD avoidance scheme. Of course, this will only work as long as you’re employed by the employer sponsoring the 401(k) plan and you’re not a 5% or greater owner of the company. In addition, the rollover must be done in a timely fashion, prior to the year that you will reach age 70 1/2 in order to avoid RMD. An example of where timing worked against a taxpayer (at least temporarily) recently came to me via the ol’ mailbag:
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
Types of Rollovers Not Subject to the Once-Per-Year Rule
In a previous article we discussed the changes to the IRA One-Rollover-Per-Year rule. There are certain types of rollovers that are not included in that restriction, detailed below. As mentioned in the earlier article, trustee-to-trustee transfers are not considered “rollovers” by the IRS regarding this rule. So you are allowed to make as many trustee-to-trustee transfers in a year as you like – no restrictions on these kinds of transfers at all. This includes trustee-to-trustee transfers from or to IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, or any eligible plan. In addition, a rollover from an IRA into a 401(k) or other Qualified Retirement Plan (QRP) is not impacted by this rule. This means that you can roll funds out of your IRA and into your employer’s 401(k) plan with no restriction – regardless of whether or not you have already made an IRA-to-IRA rollover in the previous 12 months. Similarly, a rollover from […]
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
The One-Rollover-Per-Year Rule: Revised
In a surprising decision, US Tax Court has ruled that the One-Rollover-Per-Year rule applies to all IRAs, rather than to each IRA separately as was previously thought. IRS Publication 590, Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs), has the following information in regard to the one-rollover-per-year rule: Waiting period between rollovers. Generally, if you make a tax-free rollover of any part of a distribution from a traditional IRA, you cannot, within a 1-year period, make a tax-free rollover of any later distribution from that same IRA. You also cannot make a tax-free rollover of any amount distributed, within the same 1-year period, from the IRA into which you made the tax-free rollover. The 1-year period begins on the date you receive the IRA distribution, not on the date you roll it over into an IRA. The use of the term “that same IRA” has always been taken to mean that the rule applies […]
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
When Rolling Over a 401(k) to an IRA Isn’t a No-Brainer
Oftentimes when folks are considering leaving employment, the decision to rollover 401(k) to an IRA is a no-brainer. After all, why would you leave your retirement funds at the mercy of the constricted, expensive investment choices and other restrictions of your old company’s 401(k) administrator, when you can be free to invest in any (well, most any) investment you choose, keeping costs down, and completely within your own control in an IRA? Well, for some folks this decision isn’t the straightforward choice that it seems to be, for the very important reason of access to the funds before reaching age 59½ (see this article for more info about The Post-55 Exception to the 10% Penalty for Withdrawals from 401(k)). Since only within a 401(k) (or other employer-sponsored plans) can you take advantage of this early withdrawal exception, it might be in your best interests to think about your rollover choice […]
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
Exceptions to the 10% Early Withdrawal Penalty from IRAs and 401(k)s
When you take money out of your IRA or 401(k) plan (or other qualified retirement plan, such as a 403(b) plan), if you’re under age 59½ in most cases your withdrawal will be subject to a penalty of 10%, in addition to any taxes owed on the distribution. There are many exceptions to this rule though, and the exceptions are not the same for all types of plans. IRAs have one set of rules, and 401(k)s have another set of rules. The exceptions are always related to the purpose for which the money was withdrawn. The exact same dollars withdrawn do not have to be used for the excepted purpose, just that the excepted expense was incurred. IRA Exceptions It is important to know that all distributions from your traditional IRA are subject to ordinary income tax, but some distributions are not subject to the early withdrawal penalty. The list […]
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
Rolling Over a 401(k) into a New Employer’s Plan
When you change jobs you have a choice to make regarding your retirement plan at former employer. If the plan is a 401(k), 403(b), or other qualified plan of that nature, you may have the option to roll the old plan into a plan at your new employer. The new employer’s plan must allow rollovers into the plan – this isn’t always automatic. Most plans will allow rollover of former employer’s plans, but not all. Once you’ve determined that the plan will accept a rollover, you should review the new plan to understand whether or not it makes sense to roll your old plan into it, or choose another option. Other options may be: rollover the old plan into an IRA, convert the old plan to a Roth IRA, leave the old plan where it is, or take a distribution from the old plan in cash. In this article we’ll […]
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
What Options Are Available for a Surviving Spouse Who Inherits an IRA?
First Spouse Program bronze medal (Photo credit: Wikipedia) When the owner of an IRA dies and leaves the IRA to his or her spouse as the sole beneficiary, there are some unique options available for handling this inherited IRA. Keep in mind that these options are only available to a spouse a beneficiary – a non-spouse beneficiary has much more limited options available. Options for a Spousal Beneficiary of an IRA The first and easiest option is for the spouse to leave the IRA exactly where it is and do nothing. In this manner, the IRA will continue to exist as belonging to the deceased spouse – for a time. If the deceased spouse was over age 70½ years of age and subject to Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), the surviving spouse could elect to continue receiving those RMDs using his or her late spouse’s lifetime as the distribution factor. On […]
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
What types of accounts can I rollover into?
OMG IRA (Photo credit: girlonaglide) When you have money in several accounts and you’d like to have that money consolidated in one place, the question comes up – Which type of account can be tax-free rolled over into which other type of accounts? Thankfully, the IRS has provided a simple matrix to help with this question. At this link you’ll find the matrix, sourced from IRS Publication 590. In terms of explanation, here are a few rules to remember: You can generally rollover one account of any variety (IRA, Roth IRA, 401(k), and so on) into another account of the exact same type. You can rollover a Traditional IRA into just about any other tax-deferral plan, including 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), as well as a SEP IRA. The same goes for each of the accounts in reverse as well as between all of these types of accounts. In general, employer plans […]
Share, tweet, print, email, like or pin this post:
The Rollover
Image via Wikipedia You’ve heard it millions of times – on the radio or tv – “when you leave your job, you should roll over your retirement account”. You may know that it makes sense (or at least you assume it makes sense, otherwise why would these folks admonish you to do so?), but do you know why it’s important? And do you have the first clue as to how to accomplish a rollover? Why rollover? Among the reasons that it is important to rollover your retirement account when you leave employment is that you want to have control over your money. If you leave the account with the former employer, you are effectively handing over a portion of the control of your money to the administrator. This administrator’s primary job is to ensure that the plan remains as effective and efficient as possible, for your former employer. Your interests […]
Sterling Raskie, MSFS, CFP®, ChFC®
The latest in our Owner’s Manual series, A 401(k) Owner’s Manual, was published in January 2020 and is available on 
A Medicare Owner’s Manual, is updated with 2020 facts and figures. This manual is available on 
Social Security for the Suddenly Single can be found on Amazon at 
Sterling’s first book, Lose Weight Save Money, can be 
An IRA Owner’s Manual, 2nd Edition is available for purchase on Amazon. Click the link to choose the 
Jim’s book – A Social Security Owner’s Manual, is now available on Amazon. Click this link for the 
And if you’ve come here to learn about queuing waterfowl, I apologize for the confusion. You may want to discuss your question with Lester, my loyal watchduck and self-proclaimed “advisor’s advisor”.