The dissolution of a marriage is often a very stressful and challenging process, and decisions on dividing retirement assets can often exacerbate things, as this nest egg usually represents the couple’s largest resource base. And making mistakes when splitting these accounts can result in taxes, penalties and, potentially, an unintended portion of the money going […]
The IRS has announced the 2018 retirement plan limits
The 2018 retirement plan limits have recently been announced by the IRS. These new limits are effective January 1, 2018. If you are an employee and a retirement plan participant, be sure to contact your employer as soon as possible if you wish to change your retirement plan salary deferrals for 2018. Of course, if […]
What is a QDRO, and why should I care?
Introduction A retirement plan can be one of the largest assets in a marriage. Despite this, retirement accounts are sometimes overlooked during the divorce process, in part because asset division can be complicated and in part because a divorce can happen years before one or both spouses plan to retire. But forgetting to take a […]
What is the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD)?
If you’ve reached a certain age, you may have recently received a letter from your bank, brokerage firm or mutual fund company, informing you that you’ll have to take an RMD before year end – and they may have even told you what the amount is. So what is an RMD? Well, let’s start by […]
The IRS has announced the 2017 retirement plan limits
The 2017 retirement plan limits have recently been announced by the IRS. These new limits are effective January 1, 2017. If you are an employee and a retirement plan participant, be sure to contact your employer as soon as possible if you wish to change your retirement plan salary deferrals for 2017. Of course, if […]
Can you delay taking your RMDs?
Individuals who will turn 70 ½ in 2016 are generally required to begin taking required minimum distributions from retirement accounts by April 1, 2017. That is the so-called “required beginning date” for most employees. But some people who have a company retirement plan can delay taking their RMDs, using the IRS’s “still working” exception. Note […]
The IRS has announced the 2016 retirement plan limits
The 2016 retirement plan limits have recently been announced by the IRS. These new limits are effective January 1, 2016. If you are an employee and a retirement plan participant, be sure to contact your employer as soon as possible if you wish to change your retirement plan salary deferrals for 2016. Of course, if […]
Nobel laureate Robert Merton on the problem with target-date funds
Nobel laureate and M.I.T. professor of economics Robert Merton doesn’t think much of target-date funds. Excerpts from the November 2, 2015 online edition of Advisor Perspectives: Target-date funds are an exceptionally bad way to save for retirement, according to Robert Merton. Merton is a professor of economics at M.I.T. and was awarded the Nobel Prize […]
Employer stock in your 401(k) account could be a problem
You may remember the horror stories of employees who watched their 401(k) account balances virtually disappear when the stock price of their employer collapsed. Enron and Lehman Brothers are two of the most famous examples. To the list can now be added… RadioShack. While employer stock in 401(k) plans is less common than it used […]
Springwater’s Fourth Quarter 2014 Market Commentary
Click here to read our market commentary for the fourth quarter of 2014.