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Retirement FAQs

  1. Are 401(k) loans taxed?

  2. What pension benefits are available to military personnel?

  3. What should you do when you're five years from retiring?

  4. What are the differences between a 401K and an IRA?

  5. How do I retire?

  6. What are Government Pension Offsets, and who is subject to them?

  7. How do you plan for retirement if you have multiple employers? Can you combine retirement plans from multiple employers?

  8. I have a 403(b) from a old employer. I would like to convert it to a 401(k). How can I do that?

  9. My daughter would like to use some of her Roth IRA to pay for some current tuition fees and loans. Can she do this without a penalty?

  10. Our broker switched firms in the middle of 2011. As a result we lost track of our required minimum distribution (RMD) amounts and ended up withdrawing much more than our RMD. Is there a way to defer some of the withdrawal to 2012 to avoid the tax liabilit

  11. What happens during the consolidation phase of an investor's life cycle?

  12. How can I start an IRA for my child?

  13. What is the difference between qualified and non-qualified plans?

  14. The reason why ERISA qualified plans should have an investment policy statement is to:

  15. How do 401(k) loans work?

  16. What are the exceptions to the premature withdrawal penalty rules for IRA accounts?

  17. Can I refuse a gift by providing a "Qualified Disclaimer," and what does this entail?

  18. I have a profit-sharing plan with my former employer. I am now trying to buy a home. Can I use my profit-sharing money to put a down payment on a house?

  19. How does an employer benefit from a 401(k) matching plan?

  20. Should I collect early Social Security?

  21. What is the "stretch IRA" concept?

  22. What are the pros/cons of naming a trust as the beneficiary of a retirement account?

  23. Does it make sense to convert a Traditional IRA to a Roth when the market’s down?

  24. What is the difference between early retirement and full retirement as it applies to Social Security retirement benefits?

  25. When is the best time to purchase long-term care insurance?

  26. Which of the following accounts does ERISA cover?

  27. What is the "three-legged stool"?

  28. What is pension maximization?

  29. Is it wise to put an IRA account into a fixed or variable annuity?

  30. Which statement(s) is/are FALSE about market risk?

  31. What is long-term care?

  32. What are activities of daily living (ADL)?

  33. Why should I invest in the market when I can buy and sell houses or cars?

  34. A lot of retirement projections seem to assume an 8% rate of return. Is this realistic?

  35. Should a Canadian citizen who lives and works in the U.S. continue to contribute to a RRSP account?

  36. I overcontributed to my Roth, then lost half of this money to the market. Does the 6% penalty apply to my original contribution, or only what's left of it?

  37. What is cliff vesting?

  38. How do I use a conduit IRA?

  39. We are in a 401(k) at work. Can we also do a Roth each year? If we can, can it also be deducted from our taxes?

  40. Do I still have to pay penalties and taxes on money that I don't roll over from a DROP fund?

  41. Is a person an active participant in an employer-sponsored retirement plan if he or she was only active for a short time?

  42. What are the penalties for withdrawing from my Traditional IRA less than a year after acquisition?

  43. Am I entitled to any of my ex-spouse's retirement plan benefits?

  44. What happens when someone is given the golden boot?

  45. If I am no longer employed, can I roll over a 403(b) plan into an IRA?

  46. Can I pull out most of my assets from my IRA and use the cash as long as I replace it in the IRA within a year?

  47. I am a teacher in a public school system and I don't presently have a 403(b) plan, but I do have some money in a Roth IRA and also a self-directed IRA. Can I roll my IRA funds into a newly opened 403(b) plan, since I am presently employed by the school sy

  48. Are there tax penalties for closing my Roth IRA account?

  49. Can investment real estate be purchased within an IRA and, if so, are there any pitfalls?

  50. Can an employer adopt a different type of retirement plan for each employee?

  51. I want to purchase a five-year period certain single premium immediate annuity (SPIA) with my IRA account. I'm 53. Will the 10% penalty apply?

  52. Can I roll my 403(b) and 457 into other low-cost venders when I change jobs?

  53. I didn't earn any income this year. Can I still contribute to a Roth?

  54. Is there a limit on how much I can move from my IRA to my Roth IRA?

  55. Health problems caused me to take my RMD after the deadline. Can I appeal my case to the IRS?

  56. I work for two companies. How much can I contribute to each company's SIMPLE IRA?

  57. If I pass away, will my retirement plan go to my spouse tax free?

  58. Does participation in a 401(k) plan prevent an individual from contributing to a Traditional IRA?

  59. What do you do for a non-spouse beneficiary receiving a required minimum distribution (RMD) when the plan terminates? Is the purchase of an annuity the only option? Any thoughts on whether an IRA could be opened?

  60. I made involuntary contributions to a retirement plan while temporarily employed. Can I withdraw these funds without penalty?

  61. My mother inherited my father's IRA. When she died, I received an account application listing me as the beneficiary, as well as notice that my brother and I will have to take my mom's required distribution. My brother is nowhere to be found. How should I

  62. Is it easier to save for retirement if you start earlier in life? Can I make up for what I don't save now by contributing more later on?

  63. I have several jobs. Can I contribute the maximum to multiple employer retirement plans?

  64. Will I incur a tax penalty when making withdrawls from my IRA in excess of my SEPP?

  65. How can I reduce the taxes on my inherited retirement assets?

  66. I want to roll over a portion of my retirement plan with my employer and I have been advised to ask for separate checks to account for pre- and after-tax amounts. What does this mean?

  67. What types of plans allow catch-up contributions?

  68. Can I roll a Traditional IRA into a 529 college account for my grandchild?

  69. Can I close my existing Roth IRA and invest in a new Roth IRA at a different financial institution without a tax penalty?

  70. My company is the trustee of our 401k plan (which has 112 participants). What are the pros and cons of having the company instead of the plan provider/vendor as the trustee?

  71. Can an individual contribute to both a Roth IRA and a Traditional IRA in the same year?

  72. Can I borrow from an IRA without penalty?

  73. Upon my death, will the beneficiaries of my IRA be compelled to take the entire amount in the IRA as ordinary income, forcing them into unusually high income tax brackets?

  74. What is the difference between a Traditional and a Roth IRA?

  75. I didn't record my Traditional IRA contributions. Is there a website that lists IRA contribution limits for past years?

  76. I own a small business. Can the SBO-401(k) work for me?

  77. Can high-income earners deduct yearly defined-benefit plan contributions of over $100,000?

  78. How do I get credit for my retirement plan contributions?

  79. If there are two plans and one is terminated, creating a distributable event, can loans in the terminated plan be rolled over?

  80. What effect will a prenuptial agreement have on a 401(k)?

  81. What are the income limits for Roth IRA contributions?

  82. I converted my former IRA to a Roth for tax purposes in 1998, so even though the tax was paid over four years, am I correct to assume that this is now mine to withdraw, if I like, at no penalty? I am 60 years old.

  83. If an individual still has his or her former spouse as the beneficiary of an IRA, does the former spouse receive the assets upon the individual's death?

  84. My wife and I both converted our Traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs in Dec 1998 and have invested the maximum amount each year to date in the Roth. I am purchasing a new home in January. Do my wife and I each qualify for a one-time, tax-free $10,000 "qualified

  85. I am the beneficiary of an IRA and a Keogh. Can I combine them into one plan?

  86. If an IRA owner dies after starting required minimum distributions (RMD) but the spouse is under 70.5, can the spouse roll over the IRA into his/her own IRA, and stop RMDs until age 70.5?

  87. What is the five-year waiting rule for Roth IRAs?

  88. I am in the second year of taking SEPP distributions from my IRA. Can I transfer some of the funds to a new IRA with different investment options?

  89. What's the difference between a savings account and a Roth IRA?

  90. I'm 70.5 and still working for my own company. Can I defer starting my required minimum distributions?

  91. I have two jobs. Can I contribute to two SIMPLE IRA plans?

  92. I just opened an IRA. What can I do to help my money grow?

  93. I am in my mid thirties and have nothing invested for retirement. Is it too late to start contributing for a retirement plan?

  94. Can I roll over a profit-sharing plan to an SEP IRA account without suffering any tax penalties and liquidation of current positions held in this account?

  95. Can you have a 403(b) and also contribute to a 401(k)?

  96. Is my husband's ex-spouse entitled to receive my spouse's retirement benefits?

  97. If I participate in my company’s SIMPLE IRA plan, can I also contribute to another IRA in order to receive a larger tax deduction?

  98. I am making after-tax contributions to an IRA. Will I get taxed again when I withdraw it (when eligible)?

  99. I am starting a limited liability company (LLC). I will be the sole member. Can I open an SEP IRA? How much tax-deferred money would I be able to contribute each year?

  100. My company has three partners but plans to hire more this year. Would we be better off with an SBO-401(k) or a SIMPLE IRA?

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Last Questions Asked:
  1.

    Are 401(k) loans taxed?

  2. What pension benefits are available to military personnel?

  3. What should you do when you're five years from retiring?

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