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Retirement Planning in 2026: Why Annuities Deserve a Serious Look
Retirement planning in 2026 looks different than it did even a few years ago. Many retirees and pre-retirees are facing a familiar challenge in a new way: they want growth, but they also want stability. They want income they can count on, but they don’t want to feel...
read more
Safe Money Options Heading Into 2026
A Financial Advisor’s Guide to Protecting What You’ve Worked So Hard to Build When markets are choppy and headlines are loud, many people start asking the same question: “Where can I put my money so it feels safer, but still has a chance to grow?” As we move into...
read more
Retirement Income Planning Going Into 2026: Turning Your Savings Into a Lifetime Paycheck
For most people, retirement isn’t about a specific age or account balance—it’s about confidence.Confidence that the bills will be paid, that you can handle surprises, and that you won’t run out of money before you run out of life. As we approach 2026, retirement...
read more
Estate Planning & You: Getting Ready for 2026 (Without Freaking Out)
state planning sounds like something for billionaires in marble mansions… not for regular people with a mortgage, a 401(k), a dog, and a favorite taco spot. But here’s the truth:If you love someone or own something, you need some kind of estate plan. As we head toward...
read more
Retirement Planning in 2026: How to Prepare for a New Era of Retirement
If you feel like retirement has gotten more complicated, you’re not imagining things. Between market volatility, rising costs, new tax rules, and longer life expectancies, “set it and forget it” retirement planning just doesn’t work anymore. The good news? With a...
read more
Retirement Planning in 2026: A Practical Playbook (and How Annuities Can Help)
TL;DR: Going into 2026, retirees face two big realities: markets that still swing and a shifting tax landscape. Focus on dependable income, flexible tax buckets, and a plan for withdrawals/RMDs. Annuities—used correctly—can add durability to a retirement paycheck...
read more
Retirement Planning Heading Into 2026: 7 Smart Moves For Clients Right Now
As 2025 winds down, retirement planning is shifting under three big spotlights: taxes in 2026, retirement plan rule updates, and Medicare drug-cost changes. Here’s a practical, client-friendly guide you can publish — plus talking points to spark action before...
read more
Why Life Insurance Belongs in Your Retirement Plan
Quick Take Life insurance isn’t just for parents with mortgages. The right policy can: protect a spouse’s income plan if one Social Security check disappears create tax-advantaged cash you can access in down markets cover final expenses and debts so heirs keep what...
read more
Annuities 101: Why They’re (Sometimes) a Great Idea for Retirement
Quick Take Annuities are insurance contracts that can turn a portion of your savings into guaranteed income you can’t outlive. For the right person, they lower stress, steady cash flow, and reduce the chances of running out of money—especially when markets are jumpy....
read more
Retirement Planning in 2026: Why Annuities Deserve a Serious Look
Retirement planning in 2026 looks different than it did even a few years ago. Many retirees and pre-retirees are facing a familiar challenge in a new way: they want growth, but they also want stability. They want income they can count on, but they don’t want to feel...
Safe Money Options Heading Into 2026
A Financial Advisor’s Guide to Protecting What You’ve Worked So Hard to Build When markets are choppy and headlines are loud, many people start asking the same question: “Where can I put my money so it feels safer, but still has a chance to grow?” As we move into...
Retirement Income Planning Going Into 2026: Turning Your Savings Into a Lifetime Paycheck
For most people, retirement isn’t about a specific age or account balance—it’s about confidence.Confidence that the bills will be paid, that you can handle surprises, and that you won’t run out of money before you run out of life. As we approach 2026, retirement...
Estate Planning & You: Getting Ready for 2026 (Without Freaking Out)
state planning sounds like something for billionaires in marble mansions… not for regular people with a mortgage, a 401(k), a dog, and a favorite taco spot. But here’s the truth:If you love someone or own something, you need some kind of estate plan. As we head toward...
Retirement Planning in 2026: How to Prepare for a New Era of Retirement
If you feel like retirement has gotten more complicated, you’re not imagining things. Between market volatility, rising costs, new tax rules, and longer life expectancies, “set it and forget it” retirement planning just doesn’t work anymore. The good news? With a...
Retirement Planning in 2026: A Practical Playbook (and How Annuities Can Help)
TL;DR: Going into 2026, retirees face two big realities: markets that still swing and a shifting tax landscape. Focus on dependable income, flexible tax buckets, and a plan for withdrawals/RMDs. Annuities—used correctly—can add durability to a retirement paycheck...
Retirement Planning Heading Into 2026: 7 Smart Moves For Clients Right Now
As 2025 winds down, retirement planning is shifting under three big spotlights: taxes in 2026, retirement plan rule updates, and Medicare drug-cost changes. Here’s a practical, client-friendly guide you can publish — plus talking points to spark action before...
Why Life Insurance Belongs in Your Retirement Plan
Quick Take Life insurance isn’t just for parents with mortgages. The right policy can: protect a spouse’s income plan if one Social Security check disappears create tax-advantaged cash you can access in down markets cover final expenses and debts so heirs keep what...
Annuities 101: Why They’re (Sometimes) a Great Idea for Retirement
Quick Take Annuities are insurance contracts that can turn a portion of your savings into guaranteed income you can’t outlive. For the right person, they lower stress, steady cash flow, and reduce the chances of running out of money—especially when markets are jumpy....
Weekly Market Commentary
The Christmas-shortened week produced gains across all major US indices, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones hitting record highs. Mega-cap Tech assumed its leadership role with the semiconductor sector having relative strength. Nvidia announced a $20 billion deal...
read more
Weekly Market Commentary
US markets finished the week mixed, with a late-week rally in technology mitigating early-week losses. Micron Technology’s third-quarter results were excellent and helped propel technology stocks after the announcement. Western Digital, Seagate, and Sandisk, other...
read more
Weekly Market Commentary
The Federal Reserve, as expected, cut its monetary policy rate by twenty-five basis points to 3.50%-3.75% and tempered expectations for further cuts in 2026. The decision was not unanimous, as a divided Fed considered elevated inflation against a weakening labor...
read more
Weekly Market Commentary
Apprehensive investors pushed markets higher this week, with the small-cap Russell 2000 hitting a new all-time high, while the S&P 500 closed just 50 points below its October all-time high. Economic data, some of which is quite dated, offered a mixed picture of...
read more
Weekly Market Commentary
The holiday-shortened week saw global financial markets trade higher. Increased optimism for a December rate cut, along with some constructive news on the AI front, catalyzed buying across risk assets. Several Fed officials indicated they were inclined to support a...
read more
Weekly Market Commentary
Financial markets continued to decline as investors sold AI-related stocks amid valuation concerns, while rotating into more defensive sectors such as healthcare and consumer staples. A stellar third-quarter earnings report from NVidia prompted investors to step in...
read more
Weekly Market Commentary
Markets were choppy and ended the week with mixed results. Investors poured into risk assets on the idea that the longest US government shutdown was over, but a more hawkish tone from several Fed officials recalibrated expectations for a December rate cut and...
read more
Weekly Market Commentary
Well, the market finally had a significant pullback, but not before the S&P 500 and NASDAQ were able to set another all-time high. The week began with a deal between OpenAI and AMD, sending AMD shares nearly 24% higher. The deal catalyzed the technology sector...
read more
Weekly Market Commentary
Investors sent US markets to another set of all-time highs despite concerns about an extended government shutdown. The U.S. government shutdown was largely dismissed by markets last week, which came as a surprise given that several key economic data sets (Initial...
read more
Weekly Market Commentary
The Christmas-shortened week produced gains across all major US indices, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones hitting record highs. Mega-cap Tech assumed its leadership role with the semiconductor sector having relative strength. Nvidia announced a $20 billion deal...
Weekly Market Commentary
US markets finished the week mixed, with a late-week rally in technology mitigating early-week losses. Micron Technology’s third-quarter results were excellent and helped propel technology stocks after the announcement. Western Digital, Seagate, and Sandisk, other...
Weekly Market Commentary
The Federal Reserve, as expected, cut its monetary policy rate by twenty-five basis points to 3.50%-3.75% and tempered expectations for further cuts in 2026. The decision was not unanimous, as a divided Fed considered elevated inflation against a weakening labor...
Weekly Market Commentary
Apprehensive investors pushed markets higher this week, with the small-cap Russell 2000 hitting a new all-time high, while the S&P 500 closed just 50 points below its October all-time high. Economic data, some of which is quite dated, offered a mixed picture of...
Weekly Market Commentary
The holiday-shortened week saw global financial markets trade higher. Increased optimism for a December rate cut, along with some constructive news on the AI front, catalyzed buying across risk assets. Several Fed officials indicated they were inclined to support a...
Weekly Market Commentary
Financial markets continued to decline as investors sold AI-related stocks amid valuation concerns, while rotating into more defensive sectors such as healthcare and consumer staples. A stellar third-quarter earnings report from NVidia prompted investors to step in...
Weekly Market Commentary
Markets were choppy and ended the week with mixed results. Investors poured into risk assets on the idea that the longest US government shutdown was over, but a more hawkish tone from several Fed officials recalibrated expectations for a December rate cut and...
Weekly Market Commentary
Well, the market finally had a significant pullback, but not before the S&P 500 and NASDAQ were able to set another all-time high. The week began with a deal between OpenAI and AMD, sending AMD shares nearly 24% higher. The deal catalyzed the technology sector...
Weekly Market Commentary
Investors sent US markets to another set of all-time highs despite concerns about an extended government shutdown. The U.S. government shutdown was largely dismissed by markets last week, which came as a surprise given that several key economic data sets (Initial...
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Rolling Over Your Retirement Plan? Here Are 5 Things to Know About Your RMD
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education These days many Americans are still working long beyond what has traditionally been retirement age. This may be by choice or by necessity. If this is your situation, you may be keeping funds in your employer plan...
read more
Fatal Error: Mistakes That Cannot Be Fixed – Part 1
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst When a transactional mistake is made with retirement plan or IRA assets, there is oftentimes a mechanism to correct the error. For example, if too much money is contributed to an IRA, a person can leverage the excess contribution...
read more
Trump Accounts and Required Minimum Distributions: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst QUESTION: What’s your opinion of the value of Trump Accounts? Worth it for kids? Should the child do a Roth conversion at age 18? Or is it better just to do a Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) account? Or perhaps a mix...
read more
New Trump Account Developments
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst With contributions to Trump Accounts expected to begin in just a few months, there are some new developments to report. As a reminder, Trump Accounts are tax-deferred savings accounts for children. They were established by Congress...
read more
5 Tips for Making Your 2025 Roth IRA Contribution
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education The tax season is upon us. This is the time when many people consider contributing to a retirement account. You may be interested in the Roth IRA, which offers the promise of tax-free withdrawals in...
read more
Conversions of Property and Conversions of Inherited IRA Funds: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst A member of Ed Slott’s Elite Advisor Group℠ emailed us recently with a question about a minor child as beneficiary of her father’s IRA. The question was brief, and I think the expectation was that our reply would be of...
read more
Real Life Scenario: Minor as EDB Beneficiary
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst A member of Ed Slott’s Elite Advisor Group℠ emailed us recently with a question about a minor child as beneficiary of her father’s IRA. The question was brief, and I think the expectation was that our reply would be of...
read more
How In-Plan Roth Conversions Work
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst In the January 5 edition of the Slott Report, we mentioned that the federal Thrift Savings Plan (for government workers and the military) started offering in-plan Roth conversions on January 28. This article will provide more...
read more
Health Savings Accounts and the “Still-Working” Exception: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Question: Please explain the rules and qualifications for rolling over a portion of an IRA to a Health Savings Account (HSA). Thank you, Bill Answer: Hi Bill, A Qualified HSA Funding Distribution (QHFD) is...
read more
Rolling Over Your Retirement Plan? Here Are 5 Things to Know About Your RMD
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education These days many Americans are still working long beyond what has traditionally been retirement age. This may be by choice or by necessity. If this is your situation, you may be keeping funds in your employer plan...
Fatal Error: Mistakes That Cannot Be Fixed – Part 1
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst When a transactional mistake is made with retirement plan or IRA assets, there is oftentimes a mechanism to correct the error. For example, if too much money is contributed to an IRA, a person can leverage the excess contribution...
Trump Accounts and Required Minimum Distributions: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst QUESTION: What’s your opinion of the value of Trump Accounts? Worth it for kids? Should the child do a Roth conversion at age 18? Or is it better just to do a Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) account? Or perhaps a mix...
New Trump Account Developments
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst With contributions to Trump Accounts expected to begin in just a few months, there are some new developments to report. As a reminder, Trump Accounts are tax-deferred savings accounts for children. They were established by Congress...
5 Tips for Making Your 2025 Roth IRA Contribution
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education The tax season is upon us. This is the time when many people consider contributing to a retirement account. You may be interested in the Roth IRA, which offers the promise of tax-free withdrawals in...
Conversions of Property and Conversions of Inherited IRA Funds: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst A member of Ed Slott’s Elite Advisor Group℠ emailed us recently with a question about a minor child as beneficiary of her father’s IRA. The question was brief, and I think the expectation was that our reply would be of...
Real Life Scenario: Minor as EDB Beneficiary
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst A member of Ed Slott’s Elite Advisor Group℠ emailed us recently with a question about a minor child as beneficiary of her father’s IRA. The question was brief, and I think the expectation was that our reply would be of...
How In-Plan Roth Conversions Work
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst In the January 5 edition of the Slott Report, we mentioned that the federal Thrift Savings Plan (for government workers and the military) started offering in-plan Roth conversions on January 28. This article will provide more...
Health Savings Accounts and the “Still-Working” Exception: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Question: Please explain the rules and qualifications for rolling over a portion of an IRA to a Health Savings Account (HSA). Thank you, Bill Answer: Hi Bill, A Qualified HSA Funding Distribution (QHFD) is...
Rolling Over Your Retirement Plan? Here Are 5 Things to Know About Your RMD
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education These days many Americans are still working long beyond what has traditionally been retirement age. This may be by choice or by necessity. If this is your situation, you may be keeping funds in your employer plan...
read more
Fatal Error: Mistakes That Cannot Be Fixed – Part 1
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst When a transactional mistake is made with retirement plan or IRA assets, there is oftentimes a mechanism to correct the error. For example, if too much money is contributed to an IRA, a person can leverage the excess contribution...
read more
Trump Accounts and Required Minimum Distributions: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst QUESTION: What’s your opinion of the value of Trump Accounts? Worth it for kids? Should the child do a Roth conversion at age 18? Or is it better just to do a Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) account? Or perhaps a mix...
read more
New Trump Account Developments
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst With contributions to Trump Accounts expected to begin in just a few months, there are some new developments to report. As a reminder, Trump Accounts are tax-deferred savings accounts for children. They were established by Congress...
read more
5 Tips for Making Your 2025 Roth IRA Contribution
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education The tax season is upon us. This is the time when many people consider contributing to a retirement account. You may be interested in the Roth IRA, which offers the promise of tax-free withdrawals in...
read more
Conversions of Property and Conversions of Inherited IRA Funds: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst A member of Ed Slott’s Elite Advisor Group℠ emailed us recently with a question about a minor child as beneficiary of her father’s IRA. The question was brief, and I think the expectation was that our reply would be of...
read more
Real Life Scenario: Minor as EDB Beneficiary
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst A member of Ed Slott’s Elite Advisor Group℠ emailed us recently with a question about a minor child as beneficiary of her father’s IRA. The question was brief, and I think the expectation was that our reply would be of...
read more
How In-Plan Roth Conversions Work
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst In the January 5 edition of the Slott Report, we mentioned that the federal Thrift Savings Plan (for government workers and the military) started offering in-plan Roth conversions on January 28. This article will provide more...
read more
Health Savings Accounts and the “Still-Working” Exception: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Question: Please explain the rules and qualifications for rolling over a portion of an IRA to a Health Savings Account (HSA). Thank you, Bill Answer: Hi Bill, A Qualified HSA Funding Distribution (QHFD) is...
read more
Rolling Over Your Retirement Plan? Here Are 5 Things to Know About Your RMD
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education These days many Americans are still working long beyond what has traditionally been retirement age. This may be by choice or by necessity. If this is your situation, you may be keeping funds in your employer plan...
Fatal Error: Mistakes That Cannot Be Fixed – Part 1
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst When a transactional mistake is made with retirement plan or IRA assets, there is oftentimes a mechanism to correct the error. For example, if too much money is contributed to an IRA, a person can leverage the excess contribution...
Trump Accounts and Required Minimum Distributions: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst QUESTION: What’s your opinion of the value of Trump Accounts? Worth it for kids? Should the child do a Roth conversion at age 18? Or is it better just to do a Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) account? Or perhaps a mix...
New Trump Account Developments
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst With contributions to Trump Accounts expected to begin in just a few months, there are some new developments to report. As a reminder, Trump Accounts are tax-deferred savings accounts for children. They were established by Congress...
5 Tips for Making Your 2025 Roth IRA Contribution
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education The tax season is upon us. This is the time when many people consider contributing to a retirement account. You may be interested in the Roth IRA, which offers the promise of tax-free withdrawals in...
Conversions of Property and Conversions of Inherited IRA Funds: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst A member of Ed Slott’s Elite Advisor Group℠ emailed us recently with a question about a minor child as beneficiary of her father’s IRA. The question was brief, and I think the expectation was that our reply would be of...
Real Life Scenario: Minor as EDB Beneficiary
By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst A member of Ed Slott’s Elite Advisor Group℠ emailed us recently with a question about a minor child as beneficiary of her father’s IRA. The question was brief, and I think the expectation was that our reply would be of...
How In-Plan Roth Conversions Work
By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst In the January 5 edition of the Slott Report, we mentioned that the federal Thrift Savings Plan (for government workers and the military) started offering in-plan Roth conversions on January 28. This article will provide more...
Health Savings Accounts and the “Still-Working” Exception: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag
By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Question: Please explain the rules and qualifications for rolling over a portion of an IRA to a Health Savings Account (HSA). Thank you, Bill Answer: Hi Bill, A Qualified HSA Funding Distribution (QHFD) is...