Traditional and Roth IRAs can help you save for retirement on a tax-favored basis. Contributions to a traditional IRA reduce your current tax bill, if you’re eligible, and earnings are tax-deferred. However, withdrawals are taxed in full (plus a 10% penalty if taken before age 59½, unless an exception applies). Roth IRA contributions aren’t deductible. […]
Tag Archives | Roth IRA
Do You Have Tax Questions Related to COVID-19? Here are Some Answers
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected many Americans’ finances. You may have questions about the implications. For example, if your employer is requiring you to work from home, can you claim home office deductions on your tax return? Unfortunately, if you’re an EMPLOYEE who telecommutes, home office expenses aren’t deductible through 2025. What about unemployment […]
IRA account value down? It might be a good time for a Roth conversion
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the ensuing stock market downturn has caused the value of some retirement accounts to decrease. But if you have a traditional IRA, a downturn may provide a valuable opportunity: It may allow you to convert to a Roth IRA at a lower tax cost. Roth IRA qualified withdrawals are tax […]
Keep an eye out for extenders legislation
The pieces of tax legislation garnering the most attention these days are the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law last December and the possible “Tax Reform 2.0” that Congress might pass this fall. But what happens with “extenders” legislation is also important. It affects whether the above-the-line deduction for tuition and related expenses, […]
The TCJA prohibits undoing 2018 Roth IRA conversions, but 2017 conversions are still eligible
Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA can provide tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals in retirement. But conversions are subject to income tax. Before the TCJA, if you discovered a conversion would be too costly tax-wise, you could undo it using a “recharacterization” and avoid the tax hit. Effective with 2018 conversions, the TCJA […]
