Retirement accounts

Backdoor Roth IRAs

by Jonathan Scharlau February 20, 2013 Guest Articles

Although you may earn too much to contribute to a Roth IRA, there is no income restriction to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. What is a Backdoor Roth IRA? The Backdoor Roth [...]

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Inherited Retirement Accounts Part II: Non-Spouse Beneficiary

by Jen Santini April 27, 2012 Estate Planning 101

We previously discussed the options available to a surviving spouse inheriting a qualified retirement account. This article will address the options available to a non-spouse beneficiary inheriting a qualified retirement account. Just for a brief [...]

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Inherited Retirement Accounts Part I: Spouse Beneficiary

by Jen Santini April 13, 2012 Estate Planning 101

There is often confusion about what to do when a beneficiary inherits a retirement account. The answer is… it depends. There are different factors to determine the best course of action, such as the beneficiary [...]

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3 Steps to a Thoughtful Beneficiary Review

by Chris Hiestand February 18, 2012 Estate Planning 101

Make Sure Your Money Goes to the Right Person after You’re Gone There is so much information available about personal finances that you could spend your entire life reading all of it and you would [...]

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Baby Boomers Leaving Less to Children

by Jamie Held November 8, 2011 Estate Planning 101

I read a recent “LA Times” article and the message hit home.  My parents have been telling my sisters and me for years now that we are receiving our inheritance when we need it most [...]

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Maximize Social Security Benefits as a Married Couple — Part 3

by Chris Hiestand October 7, 2011 Guest Articles

Minimizing and Managing Social Security Benefit Taxes This is the third and final article of a three-part series to help married couples maximize the total amount of Social Security benefits they will receive in their [...]

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Beneficiary Designations

by Jamie Held August 21, 2011 Estate Planning 101

I cannot emphasize enough to my clients the importance of beneficiary designations.  A beneficiary designation describes how your assets will be distributed upon your death.  It is a form you complete with a financial institution [...]

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Where have all the life insurance policies gone?

by Maggie Green June 18, 2011 Estate Planning 101

No, this is not about purchasing life insurance or finding the best policy. We leave that to the insurance experts. This article is a simple reminder to keep your policy information with the rest of [...]

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Probate can inspire estate planning

by Maggie Green November 19, 2010 Estate Planning 101

Almost all of my non-lawyer friends give me a funny look when I talk about probate.  Yes, it is an odd word, but with a short explanation, it makes sense.  I  find that the basics [...]

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2010 Roth IRA Conversion

by Jamie Held November 14, 2010 Investments & Insurance

Do not miss out on an unprecedented retirement and estate planning opportunity.  During 2010, converting “traditional” IRA accounts into “Roth” IRA accounts present some unique opportunities. TRADITIONAL vs. ROTH A traditional IRA is an individually-owned [...]

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