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Just about every week here on YMYW, Joe and Big Al talk about converting your retirement savings to Roth accounts. But why? What’s the big deal? Today the “IRA guru” Ed Slott, CPA returns to tell us why he calls the Roth IRA “the greatest account ever created.” (Here’s a hint: it’s all about having tax-free income in retirement – and beyond.) Plus, where to prioritize saving for retirement? Jerry Tom in St. Louis wants to know. Are Christian and Tiffany in Montana on track for retirement, and should they rebalance their ETFs? Should Frank in Lake Wobegon’s wife take her teachers’ salary over 9 months or 12 months? And finally, Jon thinks the target retirement withdrawal rates Joe and Big Al use to spitball are too low – we’ll see what they think.
Will your taxes go up? Stay the same? Go down, even? Jeffrey Levine is Chief Planning Officer at Focus Partners, Professor of Practice in Taxation at the American College of Financial Services, and the Lead Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com. In other words, he’s one of the savviest tax minds in the country. Jeff returns to the show today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 524 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA, with his thoughts on what will happen to taxes under the new administration, saving for retirement in a Roth IRA vs. a traditional IRA, managing inherited retirement accounts, and the future viability of Social Security. Plus, what should you do with required minimum distributions (RMDs) when you don’t need the money to live on? How do you calculate the maximum amount you should convert from your retirement account to a tax-free Roth account, and how much should you convert – or not – to keep RMDs under control? Finally, how can minor beneficiaries avoid probate?
Pure’s Tax Planning Manager, Amanda Cook, CPA, Esq, teaches how to take advantage of tax-saving opportunities available to you. Outline 00:00 Intro 1:04 Tax Terms 5:45 Tax Deduction vs Tax Credit Example 8:38 2025 Taxable Income Rates 10:19 2025 Capital Gain Rates 10:43 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Set to Expire: Changes in 2026? 15:00 […]
What is your retirement income style? Dr. Wade Pfau, CFA, RICP®, is the co-founder of RISAprofile.com, providing investors with retirement income style awareness. He returns to Your Money, Your Wealth® today on podcast number 522 to talk about four different styles of retirement income, distribution planning, and the four percent rule. Plus, what does Dr. Pfau think will happen with President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, scheduled to sunset at the end of this year? What are Dr. Pfau’s thoughts on annuities as part of your retirement plan? Next, “Joe Anderson’s Top 5 Things” to help you manage the impact of all this market volatility on your portfolio. Also, Joe and Big Al spitball for “Al Bundy” in St. Louis: what withdrawal strategy makes sense for him, and what he should do with his IRA and 401(k) money?
Taxes can be one of the most significant expenses you’ll face over your lifetime. Maximizing your savings and keeping more of your hard-earned money during retirement is essential for long-term financial security. Pure’s Financial Advisor, Alexandra Swanson, CFP®, shares tax-saving strategies to help you build a more secure future. She discusses: Transfer assets to tax […]
How much do Nick and Nora in Pittsburgh, and Doc Mc Muffin and her Mr. in Minnesota, need to have saved, and how much can they afford to spend in retirement? What are the disadvantages to Fred and Ethel in Virginia if Ethel collects her Social Security early? Are the Moonshiner and the City Girl in Florida so obsessed with avoiding RMDs and IRMAA that they’re wasting too much savings on Roth conversions? Finally, will the tax benefits on a rental property offset the negative cash flow for Lily’s 29-year-old son, who has started his professional career with a $750K salary?
Is it better to save for retirement in traditional 401(k)s and IRAs, or in Roth accounts? What are the rules around contributing to two different types of Roth accounts? If required minimum distributions will be staggered because of a couple’s age difference, should they convert their retirement savings to Roth, or leave it alone? But first, Joe and Big Al have a backdoor Roth conversion withdrawal debate to settle.
Updated for 2025: Interested in a retirement account that will expand your finances tax-free? Learn everything your need to know about Roth IRAs in this white paper. In this guide, you’ll learn… What a Roth IRA is and the benefits Differences between a Roth IRA and Traditional IRA Rules of Roth IRA contribution limits Roth […]
Should Nancy in Washington take out a 401(k) loan and invest it in her brokerage account to catch up on saving for her retirement? When Joe and Big Al talk about having a balanced portfolio of various asset classes like stocks and bonds, Brian in Naperville, Illinois wonders whether that asset allocation strategy considers the stabilizing effect of monthly Social Security payments. Plus, Joy and her brother each have a $400,000 inheritance. How should they each invest it for their very different financial situations? Mike in Colorado has a good guaranteed income stream, so what should he do with the money he’s drawing from his taxable IRA every year – convert to Roth, put it in a brokerage account, go on a cruise? And finally, Skipper asks the fellas to spitball on whether he should do Roth conversions or take advantage of zero percent capital gains tax rates.
Mike and his wife in Tampa are 39 and 36, they’ve got nearly a million bucks saved. Are they on track for retirement? Kate in California is 55 and hopes to retire in the next couple of years. How should she manage deferred compensation and retirement withdrawals? Joe and Big Al also answer questions from our YouTube viewers on considering IRMAA when making Roth conversions, paying Roth conversion taxes quarterly or in December or in January, protecting a gifted house from a child’s ex, and the tax impact of rebuilding on an inherited property. Finally, 8 years ago, Joe and Big Al said you shouldn’t have more than 2% of your portfolio in gold, and one YouTube viewer said that did not age too well. What do the fellas think today? We’ll find out.
YMYW Podcast Best of 2024: we’re revisiting your favorite topics of last year, spitballing on strategies for building up tax-free retirement income in Roth accounts, determining your appropriate mix of taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free savings (also known as tax diversification), and finding out whether YMYW viewers and listeners can retire as soon as possible.
Does it make sense for Alex and his wife in Massachusetts to do Roth conversions now to the top of their eventual tax bracket? Steve in San Diego got serious about saving for retirement after Joe and Big Al gave him some tough love 5 years ago. Is he good to retire now, and should he convert to Roth? Can Barbara in New Jersey’s grandson move excess 529 funds to a Roth and withdraw the money after 5 years? P. Ware has a cunning plan to gift appreciated stock to avoid capital gains tax, but will it work? Should Mike create a limited liability company (LLC) for his rental properties? Qualified charitable distributions (QCD) don’t make sense to GetSmart Paul. Sherri in California wonders if her kids can inherit her savings account without any tax penalty, and whether there’s a safe, high-yielding investment she should put it in. Finally, Houry in New York wonders if her IRA can fund a charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT).
Joe and Big Al spitball on paying the tax on your Roth conversions: if you take the money out of your retirement account, what does Joe mean that you’ll be “paying the tax to pay the tax to pay the tax”? Can you pay it from the Roth account itself, or from your monthly pension tax withholding? Are the fellas wrong on this whole topic altogether? They also spitball on withdrawing Roth 401(k) contributions that were rolled to an IRA, those infamous 5-year rules for withdrawals from Roth accounts, when to do Roth conversions, saving to tax-deferred, taxable, or tax-free accounts, and how long-term capital gains taxes fit into the picture. Plus, consolidating individual stock investments, the fate of the home office deduction, and what Joe thinks about the Apple Podcasts reviewer who says he’s “checked out”.
As we continue marching towards a new year, there are several important things to keep in mind regarding your financial planning. These items may or may not make sense for you, but they are topics you should generally evaluate each year. Maximize Retirement Plan Contributions It is important to remember that while IRA and Roth […]
Can Bauer in Illinois retire at age 57, and when should he collect Social Security? More importantly, can he afford a $300,000 motor home? Can Brad in Michigan coast for the next 10 years and still reach the promised land of retirement somewhere around age 53? Plus, it seems weird to Elizabeth in Connecticut that nearly all of her $5M is in taxable accounts. Is that good or bad? N&N in the San Francisco Bay Area have $10M liquid. Should they make Roth contributions and Roth conversions now, or wait until they retire?
