I am not aware of a reason but it is likely a futile exercise to look for reason in the tax code. Are you still working? If not, is you 401k plan more attractive than a self-directed IRA? Depending on the amount you wish to donate, this might tip the scales towards a rollover or a partial rollover.
Andy, the "4% rule" isn't much more than a very rough rule of thumb. There have been many studies that come up with slightly different results but most of them to not address the tax characteristics of the funds you are withdrawing. As you are aware, $40k from an IRA is not that same as $40k from an atter-tax cash account.
Ed - Social Security makes adjustments for non-covered pensions. It sounds like you will be impacted. A visit to your local Social Security office (with an appointment) might be a good idea.
Joe, I would check with your current lender to see what they could do on a re-fi. Bankrate.org is a great place to compare current rates and offers in your area and they have a wealth of educational information. What is your current interest rate? Are you going to be able to lower it enough to make paying closing costs reasonable? Is your payment going to increase making your cash flow tighter? These are all things you want to consider.
Gary - I'd be careful with the reported loss before doing any tax planning. Calculating the correct basis on a spinoff can be tricky and your custodian may not be reporting this accurately. If you are working with a tax professional, I'd chat with them before spending your potential tax refund.
First off Joe, as a retiree, I'd shoot to be debt free if at all possible. Second, I've had the best luck going directly with local and regional banks for rates. Look at at APR or annual percentage rate. This is the actual rate after all fees are added.
Dick, I've had clients with luck using Healthcare.gov and getting a policy in the marketplace. That said, you could also ask a local agent, or even go to an association in your related field and ask if they have group coverage available.
Joe, you don't have to take the RMD until next year. Unlike a Traditional IRA, if you still have earned income, and meet income eligibility requirements, you can still contribute to a Roth IRA after 70 1/2, up to $6500/year.
Victoria, I think what you're referring to is called the "credit utilization ratio" part of your FICO credit score. If so, there are actually multiple factors that play into this because not all credit is treated equally (i.e. credit cards are treated differently than mortgages and other installment accounts). In general though, it's best to have BOTH a low credit utilization per account and a low credit utilization overall.
George, I think that finding this answer specifically for you is one of the best benefits of working with a planner. The answer is different for everyone. A REAL planner (CFP for instance and not someone who just decides to call themselves a planner) will review what you have (retirement income and investments) and what you want. Then they can determine how you need to invest to have the greatest probability of success. Many times I am able to show clients that they are more likely to be successful IF they invest more conservatively. Why take risk if you don't need to (you are the quarterback and you have the ball and a 2 point lead with 14 seconds left in the game---will you pass or take a knee?). Being more conservative though might fund all your requirements but it will probably leave you with less terminal money. So if leaving an inheritance is important, that might change the allocation. As for 60/40, alas some of my clients are so behind on savings as they anticipate retirement that they HAVE to take more risk, perhaps even more than that, to fund their goals. Go find out the right answer for YOU.
Wade, I'm in favor of keeping duration, or the time it takes to pay off the bond, short. So I'm a fan of short term bond funds. As rates rise, short term funds will adjust faster than longer terms.
Morgan, you can certainly start an account with less than $10,000. Many mutual fund companies offer low minimums and allow you to automatically purchase new shares each month through automatic transfers from your checking or savings account.
Barney - I don't believe you will have a problem using form 706 and also showing 709 as a gift to your son. For future reference, I believe you could disclaim $70,000 of the inheritance from your wife and it might go to your son, but you'd probably want to check with an estate planning attorney first.
Ah George, it does make a difference that you can take the money from taxable accounts and can manage the taxable amount to some extent (and not pay ordinary income tax rates but better capital gains rates). As I said in an earlier answer, there are usually two ways to look at it. There is a technical answer that would say it is very likely you would make more in an investment account, even a conservative one, than the mortgage is costing you (3% is still a delicious rate). But the good answer might be that you would rest easier and be more resilient in market downturns if the mortgage was paid off. In my experience most people want to go with the good answer in their hearts. When you work with your accountant, see how much gain (or IRA distribution ) you could take without going into a higher bracket. Then pay it off over a few years if needed.
Bruce, that is one way you could do it; however, what if there are no gains? Do you live off previous year's gains? Or do you add money back if you had a negative return? The important thing is to have a plan and stick to it. In bad times, you may have to make adjustments.
I am not aware of a reason but it is likely a futile exercise to look for reason in the tax code. Are you still working? If not, is you 401k plan more attractive than a self-directed IRA? Depending on the amount you wish to donate, this might tip the scales towards a rollover or a partial rollover.
Andy,
I plan to use dividends from a couple of Bond funds to supplement my pension in retirement. To stay ahead of inflation, I plan to have 50-60% invested in stock funds, and then rebalance once a year. For the stock funds would it better to have a single Total Market Index fund or have a mix Large, Mid, and Small Cap Index funds. I suspect I will likely have more opportunity to transfer funds to the bond funds at time of rebalancing using a mix of Large, Mid and Small Cap funds rather than a single Total Market Index fund.
Victoria, I think what you're referring to is called the "credit utilization ratio" part of your FICO credit score. If so, there are actually multiple factors that play into this because not all credit is treated equally (i.e. credit cards are treated differently than mortgages and other installment accounts). In general though, it's best to have BOTH a low credit utilization per account and a low credit utilization overall.
