Personal financial planning news and resources

TOPICS

March 30, 2023

Beneficiary IRAs: A guide to the RMD maze

Advisers can aid inheritors of individual retirement accounts to make optimal choices for their required minimum distributions.

March 21, 2023

How to reverse course on collecting Social Security

Individuals receiving Social Security retirement benefits who wish they had postponed them for a larger benefit amount later may have certain options.

March 6, 2023

Saving for college: The new 529-to-Roth IRA transfer rule

A provision in the SECURE 2.0 Act enables greater flexibility in saving for children’s education while also helping 529 plan beneficiaries to get a jump-start on retirement savings.

February 1, 2023

How to talk about long-term care with clients

Clients may be reluctant to discuss long-term care, but it’s better if they have a plan in place before they’re caught off-guard by a health care crisis.

January 24, 2023

9 facts about HSAs that might surprise your clients

Understanding health savings accounts’ useful, lesser-known features is key to helping clients make the most of this important retirement planning tool.

January 4, 2023

Key tax and retirement provisions in the Secure 2.0 Act

The year-end appropriations act included the Secure 2.0 Act, which makes many changes to the retirement plan rules, including expanding automatic enrollment and increasing the starting age for required minimum distributions.

January 1, 2023

The rise of the cash balance pension plan

Become familiar with this hybrid type of pension plan and its advantages for the right businesses.

November 29, 2022

The ins and outs of IRA-to-HSA rollovers

Savers often are surprised to learn they can roll funds from an IRA into their HSA. While this lesser-known rollover rule has limitations, it can produce tax savings.

November 3, 2022

IRS news, Roth conversion considerations, stopping elder financial abuse

Hear about one Inflation Reduction Act concern posed by a leading taxpayer advocate and catch up on recent JofA news and feature articles.

November 1, 2022

Elder financial abuse: A true cautionary tale

CPAs providing services to elderly individuals play a role in protecting their clients from financial exploitation.

October 25, 2022

When is a Roth conversion beneficial?

When deciding whether to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth, several factors should be considered, including some that might not be immediately obvious.

October 21, 2022

Retirement account inflation adjustments issued for 2023

The IRS issued the retirement account inflation adjustments for 2023, including the maximum contribution amounts for 401(k) plans and IRAs.

October 13, 2022

Roth IRAs vs. 529 plans, job candidate questions, and an IRS extension

Learn about Roth IRAs as a potential investment for children, questions to ask and avoid in job interviews, and recent news from the IRS and SEC in this podcast episode with transcript.

October 11, 2022

The ins and outs of Roth IRAs for children

It’s possible to fund Roth IRAs for children, and this could be a terrific financial planning move for their futures, although the strategy has limitations.

September 26, 2022

IRS raises per diem standard rates for business travel

Under Notice 2022-44, the high-low method rates will be slightly higher and the list of high-cost localities in the continental United States is revised, both effective Oct. 1.

September 20, 2022

Stretching retirement dollars by living abroad

Practical tips could help retirees make the most of their money in a place with a substantially lower cost of living.

September 15, 2022

A quick tour of student loan forgiveness, a quiz, and a letter to the IRS

This express podcast episode with transcript hits the highlights of recent Journal of Accountancy news coverage of student loan debt forgiveness, an AICPA letter urging penalty relief from the IRS, and more.

September 15, 2022

Financial planning impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act

The recently passed legislation ultimately will help with one of the biggest wild cards of retirement — health care planning — but immediate updates to financial plans are likely not needed.

September 8, 2022

Student loan forgiveness: Advice from a CPA financial planner

Brianne C. Smith, a member of the AICPA Personal Finance Planning Executive Committee, discusses how she’s going beyond the headlines to help her clients maximize their savings.

September 1, 2022

Help clients make 3 critical shifts in retirement

Retirees need to learn to look differently at spending, taxes, and powers of attorney.

FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

How to replace running totals in Excel

Accountants routinely copy down formulas in Excel to track cumulative balances, such as cash flow and retained earnings, but there is a better way. This JofA Technology Q&A article shows the way with step-by-step instructions and a video walkthrough.