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How Safe is Your Retirement Account?
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This simple self-evaluation of your personal retirement plan risk is designed to flush out the biggest mistakes people make with their retirement distribution planning. Each question highlights a situation that could lead to the demise of your 401(k), IRA or other retirement savings if you’re not careful or if you are working with estate planning attorneys, CPAs and financial advisors who are not up to speed on the complex rules surrounding IRAs and other retirement plans.
As you read these questions, the ultimate goal of this exercise may elude you at this stage. That’s OK. What’s important now is this: Going through them will get you started thinking seriously about protecting your retirement money now because each situation could by itself, or in combination with others, be the death knell for your life savings and a pot of gold for Uncle Sam depending upon your response.
Here’s how to take this quiz.
Answer “Yes” or “No” to each of these 20 questions. Give yourself 5 points for each “Yes” answer, and 5 points for each “no” answer. When you’re finished, tally the total number of “Yes/No” points in the blanks provided, then check the Scoring box to find out your Risk IQ — i.e., how much or how little your retirement savings are at risk.
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01. |
Do you have most of your retirement savings in a company 401(k), 403(b) or 457 retirement plan? |
YES |
NO |
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02. |
Do you have company stock in your 401(k)? |
YES |
NO |
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03. |
Is your retirement plan one of the largest assets you own? |
YES |
NO |
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04. |
Have you recently left your company, retired, or will be retiring soon? |
YES |
NO |
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05. |
After you retire, will you be leaving your retirement account with your former employer? |
YES |
NO |
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06. |
Will you be taking a lump-sum distribution from your company plan at any time? |
YES |
NO |
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07. |
Will your retirement account savings pass according to the terms in your will? |
YES |
NO |
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08. |
Have you named a trust to be the beneficiary of your retirement plan? |
YES |
NO |
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09. |
Is your estate the beneficiary of your retirement plan? |
YES |
NO |
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10. |
Will you be leaving your retirement assets to your spouse? |
YES |
NO |
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11. |
Have you put off instructing your beneficiaries what to do—and what not to do—with your retirement plan when they inherit? |
YES |
NO |
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12. |
Do you want to be able to control the payouts on your retirement account(s) after your death to prevent your beneficiaries from squandering the money? |
YES |
NO |
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13. |
Will you be inheriting a retirement account from anyone? |
YES |
NO |
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14. |
Are you confident that your bank, broker, or mutual fund company will have all the necessary documentation on your retirement account your beneficiaries will need? |
YES |
NO |
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15. |
Are you unsure of the exact amount the IRS requires you to withdraw from your retirement account, and when? |
YES |
NO |
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16. |
Do you own a life insurance policy? |
YES |
NO |
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17. |
Will you, at any time in the future, be rolling cash, stock or other property over from one retirement account to another? |
YES |
NO |
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18. |
Has it been more than a year since you last updated the beneficiary forms for every retirement account you own? |
YES |
NO |
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19. |
Will you need to tap into your retirement savings before you reach age 59 1/2? |
YES |
NO |
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20. |
Have you heard of the Roth IRA but taken no steps to find out more or set one up yet? |
YES |
NO |
TOTAL POINTS: YES _________ NO_________
SCORING YOUR RISK IQ
The total number of “Yes” points represents the approximate percent of your retirement savings that will probably go to the U.S. Treasury, and the total number of “No” points represents an approximation of how much you and your family will likely keep.
Now that you know how much of your retirement savings is at risk, are you concerned?
IRA Legacy Planning can help protect your retirement account from the IRS, as well as common, costly mistakes and oversignts.
To learn how you and your loved ones can benefit from IRA Legacy Planning, call us today at (818) 673-1695.
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