IRA BLOG

Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst QUESTION: I did a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) in early January of 2026 to cover a portion of my required minimum distribution (RMD), then took the rest of the RMD before I processed a Roth conversion. Am I now allowed to...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst One of the mantras we have here at Ed Slott & Company is: “Don’t do 60-day rollovers. Do direct transfers instead.” The reason? 60-day rollovers between IRAs are subject to several rules that have serious tax consequences if not...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Fall is in full swing and October is almost upon us. That means that an important IRA deadline looms just ahead. Here are three transactions you must get done by October 15, 2026. 1. Make a SEP IRA contribution for...

By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst QUESTION: I really enjoy reading the Slott Report articles, but I’m confused about the inherited Roth IRA required minimum distributions (RMD) explanations. My understanding was Roth IRAs do not have RMDs even when inherited. Am I...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst For those workplace retirement plan participants fortunate enough to own highly appreciated company stock in their plan – like a 401(k) or ESOP – the net unrealized appreciation (NUA) strategy may be available. NUA allows a person...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education QUESTION: I understand that the SECURE Act 10-year payout rule applies to certain beneficiaries. I also understand that, if the IRA owner died after his required beginning date (RBD), annual required minimum...

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Believe it or not, you still have some time if you are having second thoughts about that IRA contribution you made for 2025. Maybe you made a Roth IRA contribution and then discovered your income was too high....

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst In our August 31, 2026, Slott Report entry, we offered a list of situations where Roth conversion could make sense. In that article, we also said that a Roth conversion is not for everyone. Conversion is NOT a universally...

By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst QUESTION: I am age 74 and inherited both a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA from my older sister who recently died. Can I do a conversion from the inherited IRA into the inherited Roth IRA? Daniel ANSWER: Daniel, Non-spouse...