401k Archives | Annuity Guys® https://annuityguys.org/category/401k/ Annuity Rates, Features & Ratings: America's trusted annuity resource. Compare best options for hybrid, index, fixed, variable & immediate annuity quotes. Fri, 03 Jan 2020 16:35:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 Avoid Tax Moving IRAs and 401Ks to Annuities https://annuityguys.org/avoid-tax-on-iras-and-401ks-moving-to-annuities/ https://annuityguys.org/avoid-tax-on-iras-and-401ks-moving-to-annuities/#respond Sat, 21 Dec 2019 07:00:41 +0000 http://annuityguys.org/?p=8640 Death and taxes may be certainties of life… but it doesn’t mean we should not do all we can to delay them! Many clients misunderstand regulations surrounding the taxable consequences when transferring funds from an employer-based retirement account such as a 401k or even an individual IRA account into an annuity. A lot of the […]

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Death and taxes may be certainties of life… but it doesn’t mean we should not do all we can to delay them!

Many clients misunderstand regulations surrounding the taxable consequences when transferring funds from an employer-based retirement account such as a 401k or even an individual IRA account into an annuity. A lot of the confusion comes from how the IRS differentiates between a transfer, rollover, withdrawal or distribution. Transfers or rollovers between qualified accounts allow retirement accounts to maintain their tax deferral status; whereas withdrawing or taking a distribution from a qualified retirement account can result in a taxable consequence – with the exception on withdrawals or distributions using the IRS sixty-day rollover exemption, recently changed to only one per year!

Video: Annuity Guys® Dick & Eric discuss the complexities for avoiding tax when moving funds from a IRAs & 401Ks into an annuity.

**Guarantees, including optional benefits, are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuer, and may contain limitations, including surrender charges, which may affect policy values. During this segment, Dick and Eric are referring to Fixed Annuities unless otherwise specified.

Wonder what the alternatives might be if the government decides to increase revenues (taxes).
Most people only think about rolling over their 401(k) savings into an IRA when they change jobs. For many people, that is an ideal time to shift funds because they can consolidate several retirement accounts from previous employers in one place and take advantage of more investment options. Though there could be reasons not to do so as well.


 
Here’s an article on the Pros & cons of In-Service Distribution/Rollovers

Pros and cons of rolling over your 401(k) while still employed

When leaving an employer, there are typically four 401(k) options:

But, leaving an employer isn’t the only time you can move your 401(k) savings. Sometimes it makes sense to roll over your 401(k) assets while you continue to work and make further contributions to your company plan. These rollovers may help you more effectively manage your retirement savings and diversify your investments. It is important to really weigh the pros and cons when considering this. But first, do some checking to see if you’re eligible. Not every 401(k) plan allows you to roll over your 401(k) while you are still working.

Reasons you may want to roll over now:
1. Diversification. Investment options in your 401(k) can be limited and are selected by the plan sponsor. Rolling your funds over into an IRA can often broaden your choice of investments. More choices can mean more diversification in your retirement portfolio and the opportunity to invest in a wider range of asset classes including individual stocks and bonds, managed accounts, REITs and annuities.
2. Beneficiary flexibility. With some IRAs, you may be able to name multiple and contingent beneficiaries or name a trust as the beneficiary. Other IRAs may allow you to impose restrictions on beneficiaries. These options aren’t usually available with 401(k)s. But, keep in mind, not all IRA custodians have the same rules about beneficiaries so be sure to check carefully.
3. Ownership control. You are the owner and have access rights with an IRA. The assets in your IRA are also not subject to blackout periods. With a 401(k) plan, the qualified plan trustee owns the assets and assets may be subject to blackout periods in which account access is limited.
4. Distribution options. If your IRA is set up as a Roth IRA, there is not a set age when the owner is required to take minimum distributions. With 401(k) plans and traditional IRAs, the owner will have to take required minimum distributions by April 1 of the year after they turn age 70 ½.[Read More…


Using OutCome Based Planning™ for Your Retirement

We practice and recommend a "Holistic - OutCome Based Planning™ process when considering annuities." This approach has the effect of balancing your overall portfolio so you can meet your retirement objectives by "first identifying the least amount of your investments or savings (if any) that should be considered for annuities." OutCome Based Planning™ analyzes and models multiple outcomes so you can clearly identify your best income and growth opportunities.

"The Annuity Guys will only call if you request help". Hence, when you are ready for specialized help we will be available.
"Working with an Experienced Fiduciary Financial Planner can help you Avoid a Trial & Error or Risk Based Retirement"

This type of approach does take considerably more time, effort and analysis which will show you mathematically the successful possibilities by comparing various outcomes rather than trying to sell or convince you of that "so-called one best solution." Clients frequently tell us that this process removes some of the confusion and emotion to help them objectively identify a better retirement plan; rather than just ending up with the most convincing salesperson or advisor.

When requesting help you can be assured of working with an experienced Annuity Guys' Retirement Planner who is independently insurance licensed and securities licensed as a fiduciary financial planner having access to the vast majority of annuity companies in helping you choose the best annuities using a holistic-outcome based planning approach. We consider the high quality advisor recommendations we make to our website visitors as a direct reflection back on our commitment to serve all client's with a high standard of excellence in financial planning for retirement.

Based on survey feedback on advisors from our website visitors, we eliminated about two-hundred local advisors and now only recommend a few that we consider experienced vetted Annuity Guys' Fiduciary Advisors. Many local advisors continue requesting us to recommend them as a vetted advisor. However, our reputation and future business is driven only by satisfied website visitors. So, unfortunately we've had to tell the vast majority of local advisors no, since we changed our business model four years ago. At that time we stopped trying to satisfy everyone with local advisors, we now primarily work with individuals who are comfortable using today's internet technology to their fullest advantage by working with a select group of vetted, experienced and knowledgeable Annuity Guys' Fiduciary Planners.


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Selecting the Best Annuity & Retirement Income Advisor

Are you willing to work with one of our retirement and annuity advisors based on their experience and expertise as a first priority rather than being limited by a local or regional area? The good news is that technology has forever eliminated our geographical limitations and leveled the playing field for everyone! As a result of today's technological advances, all of us can now work confidently with experts in any field including personal finance. We are no longer confined by regional or local boundaries limiting our choices and ultimate success. A high quality advisor is now as close as a click or phone call away.

Video:"Choose a National or Local Advisor"?
"There is no room for trial and error when it comes to choosing MarketFree® Annuities or a Successful Retirement Planner."
When you think about it, your money is almost always in some other state with a custodian; whether invested in the market or with an annuity insurance company, the advisors competence is primarily needed when positioning your money initially. So working with a specialized expert in a financial discipline like investments or retirement planning is imperative. There are no undo buttons in retirement! Once the annuities get set up correctly, it is customary and more efficient for owners to benefit by having direct access to the issuer instead of having to go through the agent. And, of course any reputable advisor, local or national, is more than willing to assist their clients if needed after they are implemented.
Video:"Why These 3 Types of Annuity Advisors are Not Created Equal"
"There are no undo buttons in retirement so it is vitally important that you do it right the first time!"

We are fortunate to have a select few who we believe are truly the highest qualified advisors out of about two hundred licensed insurance agents that we eliminated. Your survey feedback is what helps us make these tough decisions. Our advisors have an independent financial practice, specializing in annuities and retirement planning, which helps ensure that you are given the best options available for your retirement planning.

Video: "How Much of Your Money Should You Consider Placing into Annuities"?
"It takes an experienced expert to know how to structure annuities for income, inflation, growth, return of principal, and tax advantage."

"Anyone can sell you an annuity; however, it takes a truly qualified and experienced advisor to know how to structure them for income, inflation, growth, return of principal, and tax advantage. Typically, there is not just one that can accomplish all of these objectives. It is how an advisor structures multiple annuities in balancing your total portfolio that makes it possible to achieve your most important retirement objectives."

Video: "How to Choose a Great retirement Advisor"?

Why Searching for the Best Annuities on Your Own Can be so Frustrating...

Almost everyone nowadays turns to the internet for answers on everything - from buying new widgets to researching just about everything under the sun; and finding the best annuity is no exception! At first, it may seem that researching will be straightforward but the more time you spend researching them, the more frustrating it can be. Why is this? First of all, it does not take long to realize that gimmicks abound - such as warnings and alerts from salesmen who just want your attention so they can sell you one or the "too good to be true" claims of 8% to 14% **guaranteed interest and of course the claim that you can get the full market upside with no downside risk! If you have done any research you have heard all of these claims in advertising which are mostly half truths and not fully explained. So how can you find the best annuities on the internet? The truth is... you can't! And what is even more frustrating is all the conflicting points of view from so called experts. There are well over 6,000 different annuities - all designed for different reasons, so is it any wonder that the deck is stacked against the average researcher or do-it-yourselfer. Add to that the fact that they pay high enough commissions to attract a plethora of both good and bad agents. This does not make annuities good or bad; they are simply a financial tool that truly benefit those who use them correctly. How can you find the best annuities for your unique situation?
  • Use the internet cautiously;
  • Work with a vetted and experienced specialist;
  • Do not settle for that one dubious best plan. Compare multiple Outcome Based Plans to decide on the one that is truly best for you;
  • Be keenly aware of scare tactics and hyperbole - avoid those advisors and websites;
  • Avoid websites that are focused on rushing free reports, rates and quotes to get your contact information they are rushing you to speak with them, instead, take your time and choose someone you are more comfortable with that works on your time-table;
  • Know the Five Vital Factors (listed above) that an experienced specialist must answer before helping you select the best options for your situation;
  • Watch this telling video "Avoid Annuity Gimmicks, Amateurs and Charlatans"...


Video: "Avoiding Gimmicks, Scams & Charlatans"

  ** Guarantees, including optional benefits, are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuer, and may contain limitations, including surrender charges, which may affect policy values. Annuities are not FDIC insured and it is possible to lose money.
They are insurance products that require a premium to be paid for purchase.
Annuities do not accept or receive deposits and are not to be confused with bank issued financial instruments.
During all video segments, Dick and Eric are referring to Fixed Annuities unless otherwise specified.


  *Retirement Planning and annuity purchase assistance may be provided by Eric Judy or by referral to a recommended, experienced, Fiduciary Investment Advisor in helping our website visitors. Dick Van Dyke semi-retired from his Investment Advisory Practice in 2012 and now focuses on this website. He still maintains his insurance license in good standing and assists his current clients.
Our vetted and recommended Fiduciary Financial Planners are required to be properly licensed in assisting clients with their annuity and retirement planning needs. (Due diligence as a client is still always necessary when working with any advisor to check their current standing.)




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  9. MarketFree™ Annuity Definition: Any fixed annuity or portfolio of fixed annuities that protects principal / premium and growth by remaining market risk free.
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]]> https://annuityguys.org/avoid-tax-on-iras-and-401ks-moving-to-annuities/feed/ 0 How are Annuities Affected by the New 2015 Rollover Rules? https://annuityguys.org/how-are-annuities-affected-by-the-new-2015-roll-over-rules/ https://annuityguys.org/how-are-annuities-affected-by-the-new-2015-roll-over-rules/#respond Sat, 17 Jan 2015 07:00:25 +0000 http://annuityguys.org/?p=17548 The Internal Revenue Service is changing the IRA rollover rules this year – if you don’t know about this change it could hurt you. Beginning in 2015, you can only make one rollover from an IRA to another (or the same) IRA in any 12-month period, regardless of the number of IRAs you own. The limit […]

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The Internal Revenue Service is changing the IRA rollover rules this year – if you don’t know about this change it could hurt you.

Beginning in 2015, you can only make one rollover from an IRA to another (or the same) IRA in any 12-month period, regardless of the number of IRAs you own. The limit will apply by aggregating all of an individual’s IRAs including SEP and SIMPLE IRAs, as well as traditional and Roth IRAs effectively, treating them as one IRA for purposes of the limit.

Does this mean you are limited to a single transfer from a 401k or IRA to a new investment or annuity firm in 2015? No. There is no limit on custodian to custodian transfers – sometimes referred to as rollover transfers.  The rollover situations that are impacted are those where an IRA custodian creates a check and disburses those funds to the account holder. Once the account holder takes possession of their funds, the account holder has… [continued below video]

Video: The Annuity Guys, Dick and Eric, discuss the new IRS rollover rules and how it could impact your money movement in 2015.

Guarantees, including optional benefits, are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuer, and may contain limitations, including surrender charges, which may affect policy values. During this segment, Dick and Eric are referring to Fixed Annuities unless otherwise specified. 

…sixty days in which they can “roll” the funds over into another IRA to avoid paying taxes or penalties on the disbursed dollars. (The IRA account holder previously had the ability to rollover an IRA once per year per IRA; however, at present, it is only once for all the IRA account holders aggregated IRAs.)

Why does this matter? There are a number of advisors who prefer to do rollovers so they can more efficiently expedite the movement of funds from a custodian that is being replaced into their control. Doing this now still works… but if you do this twice – knowingly or unknowingly – you could trigger a taxable event on ALL the dollars involved in all of your aggregated IRAs..

Want more information, here is an article from the IRS…

IRA One-Rollover-Per-Year Rule

Beginning in 2015, you can make only one rollover from an IRA to another (or the same) IRA in any 12-month period, regardless of the number of IRAs you own (Announcement  2014-15 andAnnouncement 2014-32). The limit will apply by aggregating all of an individual’s IRAs, including SEP and SIMPLE IRAs as well as traditional and Roth IRAs, effectively treating them as one IRA for purposes of the limit.

  • Trustee-to-trustee transfers between IRAs are not limited
  • Rollovers from traditional to Roth IRAs (“conversions”) are not limited

Transition rule ignores some 2014 distributions

IRA distributions rolled over to another (or the same) IRA in 2014 will not prevent a 2015 distribution from being rolled over provided the 2015 distribution is from a different IRA involved in the 2014 rollover.

Example: If you have three traditional IRAs, IRA-1, IRA-2 and IRA-3, and in 2014 you took a distribution from IRA-1 and rolled it into IRA-2, you could not roll over a distribution from IRA-1 or IRA-2 within a year of the 2014 distribution but you could roll over a distribution from IRA-3. This transition rule applies only to 2014 distributions and only if different IRAs are involved. So if you took a distribution from IRA-1 on January 1, 2015, and rolled it over into IRA-2 the same day, you could not roll over any other 2015 IRA distribution (unless it’s a conversion).

Background of the one-per-year rule

Under the basic rollover rule, you don’t have to include in your gross income any amount distributed to you from an IRA if you deposit the amount into another eligible plan (including an IRA) within 60 days (Internal Revenue Code Section 408(d)(3)). Internal Revenue Code Section 408(d)(3)(B) limits taxpayers to one IRA-to-IRA rollover in any 12-month period. Proposed Treasury Regulation Section 1.408-4(b)(4)(ii), published in 1981, and IRS Publication 590, Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) interpreted this limitation as applying on an IRA-by-IRA basis, meaning a rollover from one IRA to another would not affect a rollover involving other IRAs of the same individual. However, the Tax Court held in 2014 that you can’t make a non-taxable rollover from one IRA to another if you have already made a rollover from any of your IRAs in the preceding 1-year period (Bobrow v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2014-21).

Tax consequences of the one-rollover-per-year limit

Beginning in 2015, if you receive a distribution from an IRA of previously untaxed amounts:

  • you must include the amounts in gross income if you made an IRA-to-IRA rollover in the preceding 12 months (unless the transition rule above applies), and
  • you may be subject to the 10% early withdrawal tax on the amounts you include in gross income.

Additionally, if you pay the distributed amounts into another (or the same) IRA, the amounts may be:

Direct transfers of IRA money are not limited

This change won’t affect your ability to transfer funds from one IRA trustee directly to another, because this type of transfer isn’t a rollover (Revenue Ruling 78-406, 1978-2 C.B. 157). The one-rollover-per-year rule of Internal Revenue Code Section 408(d)(3)(B) applies only to rollovers.

 


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IRA / 401k to Annuity Rollover Concerns https://annuityguys.org/ira-401k-to-annuity-rollover/ https://annuityguys.org/ira-401k-to-annuity-rollover/#respond Fri, 21 Sep 2012 19:27:23 +0000 http://annuityguys.org/?p=5033 Many of the concerns people have with moving an IRA or 401k into annuities revolve around misconceptions with how the IRS treats these transfers. As long as these transactions follow some basic rules there should be no additional taxable consequence or penalty. Dick and Eric examine the IRA to annuity transfer process and discuss some of the […]

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Many of the concerns people have with moving an IRA or 401k into annuities revolve around misconceptions with how the IRS treats these transfers. As long as these transactions follow some basic rules there should be no additional taxable consequence or penalty.

Dick and Eric examine the IRA to annuity transfer process and discuss some of the challenges and misconceptions that they have encountered when speaking with clients.

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**Guarantees, including optional benefits, are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuer, and may contain limitations, including surrender charges, which may affect policy values. During this segment, Dick and Eric are referring to Fixed Annuities unless otherwise specified.

401K, 457 & 403B to IRA ANNUITY ROLLOVERS
RULES CHANGE for IN-SERVICE 401(k) ROLLOVERS
401k, 457 & 403B to Roth rollovers are now possible before age 59½.

A new possibility. Sometimes employees want to pull money out of a 401(k) before they retire. It isn’t always because of an emergency. Some workers want to make an in-service non-hardship withdrawal just to roll their 401(k) assets into an IRA. Why? They see lower account fees and greater investment choices ahead such as combining the safety and growth of a Fixed Annuity with the tax free benefits of the Roth IRA.
As a result of the Tax Increase Prevention Reconciliation Act (TIPRA), tax laws now permit in-service non-hardship withdrawals from 401(k), 403(b) and 457 plans to traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs before age 59½. Of course, the employee must be eligible to take a distribution from the plan, and the funds have to be eligible for a direct IRA rollover.

This option may be very interesting to highly compensated employees who want the tax benefits of a Roth IRA. The income limits that prevented them from having a Roth IRA have been repealed, and they may have sizable 401(k) account balances.

Does the plan allow the withdrawal? Good question. If a company’s 401(k) plan has been customized, it may allow an in-service withdrawal for an IRA rollover. If the plan is pretty boilerplate, it may not.

The five-year/two-year rule also has to be satisfied. IRS Revenue Ruling 68-24 says that for an in-service withdrawal from a qualified retirement plan to take place, an employee has to have been a plan participant for five years or the funds have to have been in the plan for two years.

401(k) plan administrators may need to amend their documents. Does the Summary Plan Description (SPD) on your company’s 401(k) plan allow non-hardship withdrawals? If it doesn’t, it may need to be customized to do so. This year, plan administrators nationwide are fielding employee questions about rollovers to Roth IRAs.

401(k) plan participants need to make sure the plan permits this. An employee should request a copy of the SPD. If you ask and no one seems to know where it is, then call the toll-free number on your monthly 401(k) statement and ask a live person if in-service, non-hardship withdrawal distributions are an option. In some 401(k)s, an in-service non-hardship withdrawal will prevent you from further participation; be sure to check on that.

If this is permissible and you want to make the move, you better make an IRA rollover with the assets withdrawn. If you don’t, that distribution out of your qualified retirement plan will be slapped with a 20% federal withholding tax and federal and state income taxes. Oh yes, you will also incur the 10% early withdrawal penalty if you are younger than age 59½. Additionally, if you have taken a loan from your 401(k), any in-service withdrawal might cause it to be characterized as a taxable distribution in the eyes of the IRS.

[Read the Full Article]

Annuity Guys® Video Transcript:

Dick: Eric, I say here we go again.

Eric: Sounds like a song title.

Dick: This is something that we continue to work with clients on, and that is the question of IRAs and just the concerns they have about moving an IRA into an annuity. There are a lot of practical things, whether or not it’s a 401k or an IRA that someone wants to go into an annuity. There’s a lot of questions that come up. One is, does it even make sense to move an IRA or a 401k into an annuity?

Eric: Right. Obviously, yes, because the annuity is designed for lifetime income, and that’s usually when people are saving from their 401K or IRA. The goal is to get money to retirement, and that’s what an annuity does. There are a lot of common misconceptions, I should say, with when those transfers happen when you’re moving from one qualified product, like and IRA or 401k, and moving that into an annuity.

Dick: Many times, folks, I’ve had different ones ask me, believing they were going to have to pay tax if they put their IRA or their 401k into an annuity.

Eric: The misconception is because they think they’re taking a withdrawal. This is where terminology gets so complicated with financial lingo. You’re withdrawing from your IRA or your 401K.

Dick: It’s actually like a lateral move.

Eric: Right, it’s like a transfer, is the more appropriate term, because you’re actually transferring from . . .

Dick: Moving it from custodian-to-custodian or rolling it over.

Eric: Which is not the guy at the gymnasium at the high school.

Dick: Or the janitor, or the 60-day rollover which is popular. You can do it either way and both ways have some advantages and disadvantages. Let’s talk about those, but first of all, let’s just touch on what is a custodian?

Eric: It’s the guy, or in this case the institution, who is charge of the paperwork. They’re in charge of making sure what gets filed with the IRS is appropriate. They’ve got your qualified dollars, and they’re reporting for you. They’re telling the IRS this is what you took out, [inaudible: 02:20].

Dick: They have accepted this responsibility that’s put on them by the Federal Government if they want to be a custodian.

Eric: Right. In order to manage qualified dollars, it has to be a custodian who’s in charge of the report.

Dick: The next thing that we probably want to talk about is a 60-day rollover versus a transfer.

Eric: A 60-day rollover is basically the timing. When you have one IRA, if you’ve made a distribution, you have 60 days, basically, to put it into another product, so it’s a timing aspect.

Dick: Right. The transfer; we’re talking about just going from one custodian to the other custodian. There’s some pluses and minuses to both of these, and let me try to be fair to both of these. You can fix me.

Eric: Each of us has a preference. My preference has always been the custodian-to-custodian transfer.

Dick: Right, and mine has been the 60-day rollover.

Eric: I like the custodian-to-custodian because the paperwork, basically, is handled by the custodian. Their job is to make sure all the numbers match up, so when they’re reporting from one custodian to the next, that gets taken care of.

Dick: Unfortunately . . .

Eric: They’re two big institutions; typically they’re big institutions. It typically takes longer, you have more people involved, so you have to have a good flow of communication to make sure there aren’t any glips, clips, or mistakes along the way. It’s worked well for me; I haven’t had a problem.

Dick: What I found, because I have done both and do both, is that with the transfer process, it does take quite a bit longer. Typically, I hate to say this, but you’ve got usually two clerks working from one company to the other. You got a lot of paperwork, and a lot of times, there are just different things that happen along the way that delay or postpone.

The 60-day rollover, if it’s applicable, it’s not always applicable to do this, but the nice thing about the 60-day rollover is that when the client calls the company where the money is at, has the check made out to their name. When I say ‘to their name’, to their client’s name, then the check will go directly when they receive it, usually sent some type of overnight delivery, so they’ve got a tracking number. Then that check will be sent directly to the company; pay to the order of the company. Typically, that process takes about a week, week and a half, and the client knows every step of the way where the money is, what’s going on, but there is a little additional reporting at the end of the year. You have to notify the IRS on your tax return that you did a rollover.

Eric: What has happened is you’ve technically made a withdrawal from Company 1, and then did the rollover process manually. You have to, or your accountant, needs to report on your tax return exactly that that process took place. Occasionally, the IRS will come knocking at your door if it wasn’t filled out properly. That’s one step that I . . .

Dick: You want to have some documentation. You want to have the date on the check, when you received the check, and you want to have the date on when the money arrived at the new custodian.

Eric: Both are basically ways that you can do it.

Dick: Sometimes, it just comes down to personal preference, and what the client is comfortable with. What are some other concerns that we run into quite a bit?

Eric: I shouldn’t say the concerns, but there’s how people are able to move dollars, and when they’re able to move dollars. A lot of times, people aren’t aware that, especially the new plans have the opportunity to do an in-service, distribution withdrawal. You have the opportunity to actually move money out of a 401k plan.

Dick: If you’re still working, yes.

Eric: What’s typically common for a lot of 401K plans, they don’t give you a whole lot of more conservative options.

Dick: Right. They don’t have that variety; they don’t have the pension-style income that the annuity provides.

Eric: Some people want that comfort level of being able to take a certain amount of dollars out, put them in a product that they know when they turn it on for retirement, it’s going to give them a number, and they’re more comfortable with that than having those dollars in the market area at risk. That’s one aspect, the in-service withdrawal.

Dick: Another thing that I would like to bring up about 401K, which is different than the IRA, when you call the custodian on the 401K, if you would like to do a rollover on that, you actually can do a rollover, but unfortunately, they want to withhold 20%. The IRS makes custodians withhold 20% of 401Ks. It really is better, I found, in all cases to do a transfer on a 401K, even if it does involve delays or takes longer.

Eric: What we’re seeing more and more commonly now is because people are changing jobs more frequently, when you’re leaving one company’s 401K, they usually don’t want you to park your dollars there, so they want you to move out because they’re paying the administrative fee.

A lot of times, you’ll see people moving from a 401K to a self-directed IRA. You’ll have those transfers going on and that is usually, in my experience, more easily done with a custodian-to-custodian transfer of paperwork. As you said, then you don’t have to worry about the withholding or any of those issues.

Dick: Exactly. Another thing that we run into is RMDs.

Eric: Yes. For those of you who do not know what RMDs are, it’s not some kind of weapon of mass destruction, it’s what it sounds like, but they’re required minimum distributions.

Dick: Withdrawals that are required at a certain age.

Eric: Yes. This is one of the things that . . . with 401Ks, you do have withdrawal requirements at age 70½, unless you’re still working or . . . and this is a new one for us we’ve been talking about, you’re over a 5% owner of the company. Then you still have to have that RMD. That’s the little tweak there.

Dick: Tricky little laws here. Folks, we’re not, Eric and I want to make it very clear, we’re not accountants.

Eric: No. We don’t play them on television, despite the size of the screen here.

Dick: We don’t give tax advice. What we’re giving here is a general overview and understanding of how annuities generally, conceptually function with IRAs and 401Ks.

Eric: Correct.

Dick: One think that I’ve run into, Eric, a couple things on RMDs I should say, is that if someone is at that age; they’re at 70½ or past that age, had their first birthday after 70½. If they haven’t had the RMD taken out at the present company, then they have to make that that money gets taken out of the IRA at the new company. They have to make a decision; does the company where it’s at presently take it out or does the money move over, and then come out at the new company? It’s fair to do it either way.

Eric: Right. It’s just a matter of reporting. Of course, with IRAs, you don’t have to . . . if you have multiple IRAs in different locations, you don’t have to take it out of each and every one. You can choose to take it out of just one location versus all the others.

Dick: You figure what’s owed in your RMD on each annuity or each IRA account, and then you can add it all up and take it all out of one account.

Eric: I think this is where people say, “How much am I going to owe?” We should say RMDs are calculated based off of the end-of-year of the prior year, and then it’s based off of your age and a percentage; the formula the IRS puts us out there.

Dick: It’s in Publication 590, the unified tax tables, and there’s 3 different tables, depending on the age of your spouse and that type of thing. One thing that I found, Eric, that a lot of times it’s a misconception on the RMDs, a lot folks believe that once they turn this magic age, about 71-years-old, that they have to take large amounts out of their IRA and pay the tax, or they have to take it all out, which is really a misconception that I wouldn’t think would be out there, but I hear it quite a bit. The fact of the matter is that your initial first RMD is about 3.65%. We always say 3.5%, but it actually is about 3.65%, when you figure it, and then it graduates up from there. I’ve always said, “If the IRS has a choice . . .” folks, what do you think they’re going to do? You think they’re going to make the formula very simple, like just tell you the percentage, or do you think they’re going to make it complicated and make you do math with a divisor? They give you a table, a divisor, and that withdrawal rate goes up with your age, so that each year you’re taking a little more out, a little more out. By time you’re up in your 90s you’re getting your IRA pretty well depleted.

Eric: This is where that custodian comes into play. When you’re working with a company that you have an IRA with, if you have questions about the amount you need to take out, contact the custodian because they’ll do the math for you, because they want to keep you in compliance, as well.

Dick: What I want to go back to, Eric, is does it really make sense to move your IRA into an annuity?

Eric: For me, I like the idea of taking IRAs and 401Ks that have basically . . . they’ve been saved for the purpose of retirement income.

Dick: In many situations they have.

Eric: That’s what I’m saying, if they’ve been saved, and that’s the intent for these dollars, what does annuity do? It gives you lifetime income for that portion of your money. Are we saying move all of your IRA dollars or all your 401K dollars into an annuity? No, not necessarily. It’s taking what you need for that foundational aspect.

Dick: That has to be determined.

Eric: Create your own personal pension. Everybody likes the idea of having **guaranteed life time income. I don’t think anybody’s ever said, “That sounds awful”.

Dick: Most people choose it when they have that option and they’re leaving employment.

Eric: I have a family of educators; they all fight for their pensions. They love their pensions. That’s one aspect that people miss now in this 401K world, they don’t have that pension. The responsibility’s on you. This is one way of taking some of that responsibility and making it shared by having insurance on your life; you’re **guaranteeing your income.

Dick: When someone chooses to put their IRA into an annuity, one thing that they should be aware of, and that is you’re not doing it because you’re looking for tax deferral. You already have tax deferral. You’re doing it for other reasons: You’re doing it because you want security; you want a , perhaps some type of a hedge against inflation. That’s the reasons why you would do it; the sound reasons why you would do it. I believe that the idea would be to put as little as possible into an annuity to create the foundational income that’s necessary. It’s good to be able to calculate that out, forecast your cash flow needs, and know that you’ve got this portion of this portfolio setup for your income.

Eric: Right, it’s covering that foundation so that you’re comfortable. You know you’ve got that covered. Sounds like an excellent choice.

Dick: I agree. Thanks for joining us, folks.

Eric: You have a wonderful day.

 

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Never Place an IRA in an Annuity? Wrong! https://annuityguys.org/never-place-an-ira-in-an-annuity/ https://annuityguys.org/never-place-an-ira-in-an-annuity/#comments Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:37:33 +0000 http://annuityguys.org/?p=4946 One question that seems to come up on a regular basis is “should I use my IRA/401k dollars to purchase an annuity?” As financial advisors and planners we have to take a “big picture view” prior to answering, because it really depends. What benefits or options are you seeking to get from your annuity that […]

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One question that seems to come up on a regular basis is “should I use my IRA/401k dollars to purchase an annuity?” As financial advisors and planners we have to take a “big picture view” prior to answering, because it really depends.

What benefits or options are you seeking to get from your annuity that you could not get from an IRA placed in another financial vehicle?

Many CPAs have a blanket answer when questioned about IRA dollars being used in annuities –  it goes some thing like this “No. Your IRA already has tax deferral so their is no advantage to obtaining an annuity with your IRA dollars.” That answer for many retirees is incomplete at best! What about safe asset growth, income **guarantees, or income for life – not to mention a potential IRA “tax trap”?

For more insights into the IRA/Annuity question check out this short video.

[embedit snippet=”video-specialist-button”]

 

**Guarantees, including optional benefits, are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuer, and may contain limitations, including surrender charges, which may affect policy values. During this segment, Dick and Eric are referring to Fixed Annuities unless otherwise specified.

This is a question that has been debated many times… check out this MarketWatch article by Robert Powell from 2005 for more insights into this discussion.

Do annuities belong in an IRA?

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — It is, without fail, one of the all-time great debates in the financial-services industry. Do annuities — variable, fixed or index — belong in an IRA? The answer, unfortunately, depends on who you ask.

Firms that manufacture and distribute such products, not surprisingly, say yes. And consumer advocates, also not surprisingly, say no, citing among other things a suit filed last week alleging that a major insurer improperly sold variable annuities# for use within an IRA.

Consumer advocates and industry experts point out it’s unwise to invest solely in a tax-deferred product, an annuity, inside an IRA which also offers tax-deferral. “Since money invested in an annuity grows on a tax-deferred basis, I’m not a big fan of using them in IRAs,” says Ken Little, author of “The Idiot’s Guide to Annuities.”

Others, including the National Association of Securities Dealers, agree. Don’t invest in a variable annuity# inside an IRA solely for its tax-deferral is the upshot of one notice the NASD sent to brokerage firms it oversees. And insurers don’t dispute that advice. Heather Dzielak, vice president of Lincoln Financial Group’s annuity business, says this: “If (a person’s) primary goal is tax deferral, variable annuities# within IRAs offer no additional tax advantage over the IRAs inherent tax deferral feature.”

But Little, the NASD and others do leave the door open for investors to put their money into such products for other reasons, especially if they understand the costs associated with the benefits they are buying.

For instance, some experts say investors who want, in addition to tax-deferral, certain **guarantees — **guaranteed interest rates, a death benefit, or what insurers call living benefits (**guaranteed minimum accumulation benefits, **guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits, and **guaranteed minimum income benefits) — and don’t mind paying, in some cases, about 2 percentage points for those **guarantees might consider using an annuity in an IRA.

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Annuity Guys® Video Transcript:

Dick: Eric, frequently, we see articles from the investment industry, from CPAs, just financial magazines, and they talk about an IRA not belonging in an annuity.

Eric: That’s good. We’ve had clients, even the last couple of months here, they’re retiring. They’ve got 401Ks. They have these qualified buckets. It’s time to start spending these dollars. That’s their savings for retirement.

Dick: All these years, they’ve put this money away for their retirement to produce an income.

Eric: They’re starting to think about spending down their 401Ks or their IRAs.

Dick: What do their CPAs tell them?

Eric: “You’ve already got tax deferral in an IRA and 401K.”

Dick: Why would you want an annuity with tax deferral? That is the standard argument that’s used. What’s wrong with that argument?

Eric: You mean you can’t have double tax deferral?

Dick: Why would you need double tax deferral?

Eric: You can’t get that.

Dick: You don’t need an annuity. Is that why people buy an annuity? Is that why people use that for a portion of their portfolio? For tax deferral?

Eric: No. That’s what we always say. There’s no universal answer, but when it comes to tax deferral, do you need a double tax deferral? No. What are the other benefits that they really offer to you?

Dick: The reasons why, right.

Eric: You have IRA dollars; you’re saving for retirement. You’re now going to start to spend your retirement. What does an annuity do for you?

Dick: Safety, security, income **guarantees. In a down economy, in a volatile economy, it’s a sense of knowing where you’re going to be today or 5 or 10 years from now.

Eric: Just because I have an IRA it doesn’t mean I automatically get income for life?

Dick: No, you do not.

Eric: But I have tax deferral.

Dick: Unless everything works out perfect or you have an annuity. In no way do we advocate with our clients or to those who listen to our videos that you put all of your money into an annuity.

Eric: No. When we hear CPAs automatically discount an annuity for IRA dollars or qualified dollars, we have to pull our hair out and see we’ve been doing this a lot lately, because it can be poor advice in a universal sense. You can’t just universally say, “No, you should never put IRA dollars or qualified dollars into an annuity.”

Dick: It makes more sense when you’re younger to think that way, when you’re in that accumulation portion of your life, where you’re growing your dollars. It wouldn’t make a lot of sense to buy an annuity when you can have your money invested where it can potentially earn more and grow. No, that portion, but what happens is that same argument that’s used during those years doesn’t get carried over into the retirement years. It actually gets carried over instead of that transition where things change. Let me ask you a question here to get off the subject a little bit; where are taxes going?

Eric: Taxes?

Dick: Are taxes going down or up?

Eric: Let’s see here. If I had to be a betting man, I don’t think Vegas would give me good odds on this, but I would guess they’re going up.

Dick: I think you might be right. I think most of the folks that are watching this will agree with us. If taxes are going up, then what do I have if I have a pile of money I’ve never paid tax on?

Eric: You got a good deal, because you never pay tax on it.

Dick: What’s going to happen to it?

Eric: Is the government going to make me take these dollars and pay taxes?

Dick: Do you think maybe I have a trap here that I’m caught in, a tax trap? That’s what I see an IRA is, it’s very much a tax trap because we are likely to see increasing taxes as time goes by. Wouldn’t it make more sense to systematically be removing some money from that IRA, using it for the intended purposes of creating income and getting some money out of there so that it’s not all taxes in one large amount?

Eric: That sounds logical, but what would your CPA say? I’m making fun of CPAs right now.

Dick: What do CPAs do? In reality, when you think about it, they’re very, very good at saving us money on taxes in the year we’re going to file our return, or looking forward to the next year. Looking at the 20 or 30 years, a lot time . . . Folks, if you have one of those CPAs that looks 20 years down the line and projects things out for you, and look at ways to save you money, you have one of the rarest CPAs out there; they’re in the top 1% or 2%. Nothing against CPAs, they do a great job; they keep us legal, they save us money on taxes, but a lot of times, they’re looking at what can we save today. They’d rather defer some dollars from tax, not really thinking in terms of what’s happening with potential tax rates 10 or 20 years from now and getting that money out.

Eric: From a CPA’s standpoint, they’re thinking about tax now. Yes, if the answer is there a difference between a tax-deferred scenario between the IRA and the annuity? Of course not. If you’re saying, “What about the other benefits” Then, yes, that’s where the annuity, using qualified dollars makes perfectly good sense.

Dick: It does. When we say, “Never move IRA money into an annuity. Never buy an annuity with IRA money . . .”

Eric: Wrong.

Dick: Not.

Eric: Wrong. Take your personal situation and apply it. Basically, no, there are times when it does make sense.

Dick: There are. But everybody’s situation is different. They need to get a good advisor for that, a good local advisor. Thank you.

Eric: Have a good day.

 

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