Roth IRA contributions

Prior to 2010, individuals were permitted to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA under the tax law for Roth IRA conversion.  There were only two stipulations that governs the conversion: (1) you have to pay taxes on the converted money and (2) you must be within the income limit which determined your eligibility [...]

The contribution limit for IRA did not change for 2010. Like 2009, the maximum you may contribute to your Traditional and Roth IRAs combined is $5,000. If you are 50 years and older, your contribution limit is $6,000 (due to $1,000 catch-up contribution allowance). Note this is a per individual limit and as a married [...]

Up until about 10 years ago, there was one type of IRA, the traditional IRA which was deducted from your taxable income, grows tax deferred, and upon withdrawal, is taxed at whatever rate you find yourself. Its cousin, the Roth IRA is the mirror image, the money you put in is after tax money, but [...]

We hear a lot about diversifying across asset classes — owning stocks, bonds, real estate, etc. We also hear a lot about diversifying within asset classes — owning mutual funds of hundreds of stocks rather than owning a few individual stocks. But there’s another, lesser-known form of diversification from which you could benefit: Tax diversification.

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Converting to a Roth IRA is not new, so what with all the buzz about about this Roth IRA Conversion event in 2010? What makes it such a big deal is that up until then, most people couldn’t convert to a Roth IRA because their income was too high. For example, in 2009 if an [...]

The following article contains information about the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)’s officially released 2009 federal income tax brackets. You’ll need this information to prepare and file your 2009 tax return in early 2010. To the extent that the information in this article helps summarize the changes in Federal Income Tax, you should consult the official [...]

“When should I take Social Security?” is the first question everyone faces when contemplating retirement. More than 50% of all men and women start taking benefits at 62. By age 66, well over 90% of all men and women are taking benefits according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.
The Break Even Approach
The [...]

Should I get back into the stock market? You might be asking yourself this question if you had bailed out during the recent market downturn and watched it climbed almost 30% in March. I don’t blame you if you got out. Many people developed their investment strategy while the stock market was doing well, and [...]

Well, it finally happened to me. Last Friday, my company announced that it is halting 401(k) matching contributions, raises, and promotions for the remainder of the year. This is definitely better than losing my job, but between the match and the raise, that’s a good 5-7% loss of income. I am sure many of you [...]

In my TurboTax Online Review, I mentioned that I owe some federal income tax and is thinking about opening a SEP IRA, or a Simplified Employee Pension Plan. Aside from reducing my tax liabilities, I want to maintain my safe harbor from having to pay quarterly income taxes in 2009.
Since I am already doing my [...]