Federal Student Aid opportunities are often first-come, first-served. Applications for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are now open for the academic year 2021-22. Applying for the FAFSA allows you to qualify for grants, scholarships, and other federally-sourced aid, such as work-study or student loans. The applications opened on October 1, 2020, and … [Read more...] about FAFSA Applications Are Now Open
“Backdoor” Roth IRAs
If you make too much money to open a Roth IRA, you could create one this way. You can sum up the appeal of a Roth IRA in three words: federal tax benefit. Potential earnings in a Roth IRA grow tax free as long as the owner abides by the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) rules, and withdrawals are federally tax free once you reach age 59½ and have held the Roth IRA for at … [Read more...] about “Backdoor” Roth IRAs
Should You Care What the Financial Markets Do Each Day?
Focusing on Your Strategy During Turbulent Times. Investors are people, and people are often impatient. No one likes to wait in line or wait longer than they have to for something, especially today when so much is just a click or two away. This impatience also manifests itself in the financial markets. When stocks slip, for example, some investors grow uneasy. Their … [Read more...] about Should You Care What the Financial Markets Do Each Day?
2019 IRA Deadlines Are Approaching
Here is what you need to know. Financially, many of us associate April with taxes – but we should also associate April with important IRA deadlines. April 1, 2020 is the deadline to take your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from certain individual retirement accounts. A new federal law must be noted here. The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement … [Read more...] about 2019 IRA Deadlines Are Approaching
The SECURE Act
Long-established retirement account rules change. The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act is now law. With it, comes some of the biggest changes to retirement savings law in recent years. While the new rules don’t appear to amount to a massive upheaval, the SECURE Act will require a change in strategy for many Americans. For others, it may r … [Read more...] about The SECURE Act
New I.R.S. Contribution Limits
Changes for 2020. The I.R.S. just increased the annual contribution limits on IRAs, 401(k)s, and other widely used retirement plan accounts for 2020. Here’s a quick look at the changes. *Next year, you can put up to $6,000 in any type of IRA. The limit is $7,000 if you will be 50 or older at any time in 2020.1,2 *Annual contribution limits for 401(k)s, 403(b)s, the f … [Read more...] about New I.R.S. Contribution Limits
Can You Put Your IRA into a Trust?
What you should know about naming an IRA beneficiary. Can your IRA be put directly into a trust? In short, no. Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) cannot be put directly into a trust. What you can do, however, is name a trust as the beneficiary of your IRA. The trust would inherit the IRA upon your passing, and your beneficiaries would then have access to the funds, … [Read more...] about Can You Put Your IRA into a Trust?
Creating a Retirement Strategy
Most people just invest for the future. You have a chance to do more. Across the country, people are saving for that “someday” called retirement. Someday, their careers will end. Someday, they may live off their savings or investments, plus Social Security. They know this, but many of them do not know when, or how, it will happen. What is missing is a strategy – and a … [Read more...] about Creating a Retirement Strategy