Tag Archives: Retirement

SECURE 2.0 Resources

Here is the bill text for SECURE 2.0.

SECURE 2.0 Big Picture

SECURE 2.0 tinkers, almost in an unprecedented fashion. Instead of repealing obviously bad retirement tax rules, it adds to them! I suspect that for many Americans, SECURE 2.0 will have only a marginal impact on their retirement savings and financial planning. This version of SECURE 2.0 has some aspects of what the House passed much earlier in 2022, but there are many significant additions and changes.

I discuss what I believe to be the two biggest problems with SECURE 2.0

Some Highlights (or Lowlights)

  • Increased catch-up contributions for those aged 60-63, effective starting in 2025
  • Denial of catch-up contribution deduction for those with prior-year income over $145,000, effective starting in 2024
  • Delay RMDs to age 73 for a decade, then delayed to age 75. This change is effective starting in 2023.
  • Increased auto-enrollment for workplace retirement plans
  • Roth options for (i) SIMPLE IRAs, (ii) SEP IRAs, (iii) employer contributions to employer plans such as 401(k)s
  • Minor emergency withdrawals from retirement accounts. Limited to one distribution per year of no more than $1,000, effective starting in 2024
  • $2,500 of contributions to emergency side accounts for workplace retirement plans, effective starting in 2024
  • Elimination of RMDs from Roth 401(k)s during the owner’s lifetime
  • Allowing Schedule C self-employed individuals to adopt a Solo 401(k) after year-end and make employee contributions (first year only), effective starting with the 2023 plan year
  • Indexing for inflation of the $1,000 annual catch-up contribution to traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs
  • Reform to penalties for missed RMDs
  • No change to the Backdoor Roth IRA rules and no change to the Mega Backdoor Roth IRA rules
  • Expansion of the exceptions to the 10% early withdrawal penalty

Resources

Bill text

Jeffrey Levine’s excellent Twitter thread on the particulars of SECURE 2.0: https://twitter.com/CPAPlanner/status/1605609788183924738

Jeffrey Levine’s breakdown of SECURE 2.0 on Kitces.com: https://www.kitces.com/blog/secure-act-2-omnibus-2022-hr-2954-rmd-75-529-roth-rollover-increase-qcd-student-loan-match/

My breakdown of SECURE 2.0 and the FI Community: https://fitaxguy.com/secure-2-0-and-the-fi-community/

My mini Twitter thread on minor emergency withdrawals: https://twitter.com/SeanMoneyandTax/status/1605117417721434113

My mini Twitter thread on new employer plan emergency accounts: https://twitter.com/SeanMoneyandTax/status/1605119482803863552

My Plan

I have a retirement tax reform plan that I believe is better and simpler than SECURE 2.0.

FI Tax Guy can be your financial planner! Find out more by visiting mullaneyfinancial.com

Follow me on Twitter: @SeanMoneyandTax

This post is for entertainment and educational purposes only. It does not constitute accounting, financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Please consult with your advisor(s) regarding your personal accounting, financial, investment, legal, and tax matters. Please also refer to the Disclaimer & Warning section found here.

2023 RMDs and Roth Conversions

As I write this, we’re nearing the beginning of 2023. The stock and bond markets are down over the past year. For 2023, that means two things:

  1. 2023 required minimum distributions (“RMDs”) will, in many cases, be lower than they were in 2022, as 2023 RMDs are based on traditional retirement account values on December 31, 2022. 
  2. Roth conversions are now “cheaper” in a sense. 10,000 shares of XYZ mutual fund might have been worth $100,000 on December 31, 2021, but going into 2023 perhaps they are now worth only $90,000. Thus, the tax cost of converting 10,000 shares from a traditional retirement account to a Roth account is lower today than it was a year ago. 

Some retirees may think that they will have lower taxable income in 2023 (due to reduced RMDs). It might occur to them to wake up on New Year’s Day and do a Roth conversion. Is that wise?

Tax Rules: RMDs Come Out First and Cannot be Converted

There are two important tax rules those 73* and older should consider when thinking about 2023 RMDs and Roth conversions. The first rule is that the RMD is the first distribution that comes out of a traditional retirement account during the year. See Choate, referenced below, page 185. All distributions are RMDs until the total RMD has been satisfied. See Choate, page 320.  Further, all of a person’s traditional IRAs are treated as a single IRA for this purpose, so there’s no cherry picking that can solve this issue with respect to IRAs. 

The second rule is that an RMD cannot be converted to a Roth account. See Choate, referenced below, page 320. Anyone doing a Roth conversion prior to taking an RMD generally creates an excess contribution to a Roth IRA, subject to an annual 6% penalty unless properly withdrawn. 

*Note that effective January 1, 2023, SECURE 2.0 changed the age one must begin taking RMDs from age 72 to age 73.

Properly Roth Converting After Taking the RMDs

How does one avoid this fate? By properly taking their total RMD for the year prior to doing any Roth conversions. Sorry, no New Year’s Day Roth conversions.

The RMD can be taken through an actual distribution (or distributions) or through a qualified charitable distribution. 

Income Risk, Reversibility, and Market Risk

In most cases, I prefer taxable Roth conversions to occur in the fourth quarter of the year. There are several reasons for this. By October or November, there is more understanding of the year’s income and deductions. By the fourth quarter there will be fewer surprises in terms of income, bonuses, unexpected gains, etc. that can occur before year-end. The later in the year the Roth conversion occurs, the less likely the risk that there’s an income spike during the year unaccounted for in the planning process prior to executing the Roth conversion. 

Further, Roth conversions are irreversible. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated the ability to reverse a Roth conversion. I don’t like the idea of locking into Roth conversions early in the year. If you win the lottery in July, you might not like that January Roth conversion 😉

Of course, there are trade-offs when it comes to delaying Roth conversions to the fourth quarter. There’s always the risk that the stock market and/or the bond market could grow between the early part of the year and later part of the year. While there is a risk the market can go down later in the year (which is favorable from a Roth conversion perspective), in theory over time one expects invested assets to grow (why else invest in them?). Thus, at least theoretically, delaying Roth conversions reduces the amount of shares that can be converted at a specified amount of Roth conversion income. 

Inherited Retirement Accounts

First, one facing an RMD with respect to an inherited retirement account need not worry about taking the inherited account RMD first prior to doing Roth conversions out of their own traditional retirement accounts. Inherited retirement accounts are hermetically sealed off from one’s own retirement accounts when considering the tax ramifications of distributions and conversions from one’s own retirement accounts.

Second, generally speaking, inherited traditional retirement accounts cannot be converted to Roth accounts. There is no opportunity to convert inherited traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs.

There is one major exception to the no conversion of inherited retirement accounts rule: the ability to convert inherited traditional qualified plans (such as 401(k)s) to a Roth IRA. See Choate, referenced below, page 271. Once the inherited 401(k) money is in an inherited traditional IRA, the Roth conversion opportunity is gone. But, the beneficiary can elect to have the 401(k) or other qualified plan transfer the money to an inherited Roth IRA, essentially converting it in a taxable transaction from traditional to Roth. 

Further Reading

Natalie B. Choate’s treatise Life and Death Benefits for Retirement Planning (8th Ed. 2019), frequently referenced above, is an absolutely invaluable resource regarding retirement account withdrawals.

FI Tax Guy can be your financial planner! Find out more by visiting mullaneyfinancial.com

Follow me on Twitter at @SeanMoneyandTax

This post is for entertainment and educational purposes only. It does not constitute accounting, financial, legal, investment, or tax advice. Please consult with your advisor(s) regarding your personal accounting, financial, legal, investment, and tax matters. Please also refer to the Disclaimer & Warning section found here.

2023 Solo 401(k) Update

There are some new developments in the world of the Solo 401(k). Here are the highlights:

SECURE 2.0 First Year Establishment Deadline for Schedule C Solopreneurs

Section 317 of SECURE 2.0 provides that for the 2023 year and later, a solopreneur reporting their business income and deductions on Schedule C can open a Solo 401(k) after year-end and make employee contributions as long as the Solo 401(k) is established and funded before the tax return filing deadline for the year. See page 2262 of the Omnibus bill.

SECURE 317’s deadline extension does not factor in any extensions.

Thus, for 2023, the deadline to establish and make employee contributions for the first year of a Solo 401(k) is April 15, 2024. However, the deadline to establish and make employer contributions for the first year of a Solo 401(k) is October 15, 2024.

UPDATE December 14, 2023: I Tweeted a thread about the provision that allows Schedule C solopreneurs to establish and fund a new Solo 401(k) with an employee deferral contribution after year-end. There is at least some concern that if one is diligent enough to establish a new Solo 401(k) prior to year-end they might not get the benefit of Section 401(b)(2)‘s funding deadline extension. If that is true (and to my mind this is an ambiguous issue), then the solopreneur establishing the new Solo 401(k) prior to year-end would need to either fund the employee contribution prior to year-end or elect to make an employee deferral contribution prior to year-end.

Note that Section 317 of SECURE 2.0 does not apply for 2022 and does not apply to years beyond the first year of a Solo 401(k).

Based on the wording of SECURE 2.0 Section 317, it is not initially clear if spouses who work in the Schedule C business qualify for the new deadline. I believe the IRS and Treasury may issue regulations clarifying this point.

New Solo 401(k) Employee Contributions Limit for 2023

The IRS announced that for 2023, the employee deferral limit for all 401(k)s, including Solo 401(k)s, will be $22,500. 

New Solo 401(k) Catch-Up Contributions Limit for 2023

The IRS also announced that for 2023, the employee deferrals catch-up contribution limit increased from $6,500 (2022) to $7,500. As a result, those age 50 or older can contribute, in employee contributions, a maximum of the lesser of $30,000 ($22,500 plus $7,500) or earned income. 

New Solo 401(k) All Additions Limit

The new all-additions limit for Solo 401(k)s is $66,000 (or earned income, whichever is less). For those aged 50 or older during 2023, the $66,000 number is $73,500 ($66,000 plus $7,500). 

2023 Update to Solo 401(k): The Solopreneur’s Retirement Account

On sale now, Solo 401(k): The Solopreneur’s Retirement Account explores the nooks and crannies of Solo 401(k)s. On page 16 of the paperback edition, I provide an example of the Solo 401(k) limits for 2022 if a solopreneur makes $100,000 of Schedule C income. Here is a revised version (in italics) of the example (with the footnote omitted) applying the new 2023 employee contribution limit:

Lionel, age 35, is self-employed. His self-employment income (as reported on the Schedule C he files with his tax return) is $100,000. Lionel works with a financial institution to establish his own Solo 401(k) plan and choose investments for the plan. Lionel can contribute $22,500 to his Solo 401(k) as an employee deferral (2023 limit) and can choose to contribute, as an employer contribution, anywhere from 0-20% of his self-employment income.

Lionel’s maximum potential tax-advantaged Solo 401(k) contribution for 2023 is $41,087! That is a $22,500 employee contribution and a $18,587 employer contribution. Note there’s no change in the computation of the employer contribution for 2023 in this example. 

On page 18 I provide an example of the Solo 401(k) contribution limits factoring in catch-up contributions. Here’s the example revised for 2023:

If Lionel turned 50 during the year, his limits are as follows:

  • Employee contribution: lesser of self-employment income ($92,935) or $30,000: $30,000
  • Employer contribution: 20% of net self-employment income (20% X $92,935): $18,587
  • Overall contribution limit: lesser of net self-employment income ($92,935) or $73,500: $73,500

Amazon Reviews

If you have read Solo 401(k): The Solopreneur’s Retirement Account, you can help more solopreneurs find the book! How? By writing an honest, objective review of the book on Amazon.com. Reviews help other readers find the book!

FI Tax Guy can be your financial planner! Find out more by visiting mullaneyfinancial.com

Follow me on Twitter at @SeanMoneyandTax

This post is for entertainment and educational purposes only. It does not constitute accounting, financial, legal, investment, or tax advice. Please consult with your advisor(s) regarding your personal accounting, financial, legal, investment, and tax matters. Please also refer to the Disclaimer & Warning section found here.

2023 Retirement Tax Reform

An Open Letter to the Members of the 118th Congress

Dear Senators and Congressmen,

Congratulations on your victories in the Senate and House elections. I write with respect to one aspect of your legislative endeavors in the 118th Congress: reforming our tax-advantaged retirement savings system. As you will see, much of it is antiquated and in need of reform.

Before I discuss the problems, allow me to briefly recite my qualifications to write you this letter. My primary qualifications are that I am an American citizen and taxpayer. My secondary qualifications include:

  • I am a financial planner and advise clients on retirement planning and saving.
  • I am the author of a book on one of the tax-advantaged retirement savings accounts, Solo 401(k): The Solopreneur’s Retirement Account.
  • I am a CPA (licensed in California and Virginia) and I have a Juris Doctor degree and a LLM in Taxation degree. My background is on my LinkedIn page.
  • I write a four year-old blog (fitaxguy.com) focused on tax planning for individuals, particularly the use of retirement accounts. 

The views expressed in this open letter are mine only. I have not been compensated for writing this letter and my views are not necessarily the views of any of the clients of my financial planning firm. 

Problems with the Current Retirement Savings System

Limits Are Unequal and Unfair

There’s a myth that Congress and IRS inflation adjustments determine the retirement plan contribution limits every year. If one looks at the Internal Revenue Code and the IRS website, they’d walk away with that belief.

But is that really true? It turns out that one’s employer often defines just how much an employee can get into tax-advantaged retirement accounts every year. In practice, the current system disproportionately benefits a privileged few.

Here are two examples (using 2023 limits) that prove my point in a stark fashion. Josh is a 50 year-old employee of a large Fortune 500 company with a $300,000 salary. Josh maxes out contributions to his traditional 401(k) at work and maxes out his Backdoor Roth IRA and Mega Backdoor Roth (available through his employer’s 401(k)). Further, Josh receives a 3% match in his employer 401(k). Here are what his annual retirement savings contributions look like:

401(k) Employee Deferral: $30,000

401(k) Employer Match: $9,000

401(k) Mega Backdoor Roth: $34,500

Backdoor Roth IRA: $7,500

Total traditional deductible contributions: $39,000. Total Roth contributions: $42,000. Total contributions: $81,000.

Sarah, single, is a 50 year-old non-profit executive director with a $150,000 annual salary and no workplace retirement plan. Under today’s rules, Sarah can only contribute a maximum of $7,500 to a deductible traditional IRA. That’s it! She may be able to make a partial Roth IRA contribution or a Backdoor Roth IRA contribution, but if she does, it reduces her maximum allowed deductible traditional IRA contribution. Thus, her total contributions are, at a maximum, just $7,500 for the year.

Sadly, there are many more workers in the latter situation than in the former situation. 

Because of their choice in employers, Josh gets to put more than 10 times the amount Sarah can into tax-advantaged retirement accounts.

Yes, that is today’s reality. It makes absolutely no sense. Long term, a system that disproportionately rewards workers at some employers and barely covers workers at other employers is not sustainable. 

Where you work should not increase your tax-advantaged retirement account contributions by more than 10 times!

Many retirement provisions benefit a very select few. Most of the time, those select few are among the people who need the least amount of help in achieving a successful retirement. Retirement tax advantages should have broad applicability and should not disproportionately reward any particular subgroup, particularly very small subgroups. 

Other Retirement Account Problems

  • Complexity and confusion (Ever fill out a Form 8606?)
  • Penalties and penalty exceptions that are outdated and not entirely rational
  • Remedies for problems with retirement accounts are neither taxpayer nor IRS friendly

Goals for Retirement Account Reform

Here are the goals I believe the 118th Congress should have in enacting retirement account reform.

  • Reduce complexity and confusion. Simplify the mechanisms of retirement savings. “Backdoors” should be eliminated because retirement savings should occur through direct, simple transactions. 
  • Increase retirement savings, particularly among Americans who have struggled economically over the past three years.
  • Effective yet modest changes. While it is tempting to throw out all the rules, a complete rewrite of the rules would create tremendous confusion and likely reduce, rather than increase, tax-advantaged retirement savings. 
  • Democratize retirement account contributions while acknowledging the role employers can play in offering retirement savings for employees. That said, there should be at least some shift of dollars away from contributions to employer plans towards contributions to individual retirement accounts.
  • Reform cannot simply be a massive tax cut. The federal budget cannot afford a massive tax cut. 
  • Special advantages available to very limited groups should be reduced and eliminated.
  • Remove punitive rules and traps for the unwary. 
  • There are too many penalties in the retirement account system that are too high, too punitive, and too confusing. My proposal attempts to reduce the number of penalties, give the IRS and taxpayers more common sense tools to mitigate them, and make the rules simpler and fairer. 
  • Reduce the competition between funding expenses attendant to having a child and funding retirement savings. 
  • Avoid slogans. Our tax rules are now far too complicated to say “everyone gets a tax cut” or “no one below X income will have a tax increase.” Besides, slogans belong to the politics of the 80s and 90s. 

While my primary audience is the members of the 118th Congress, please allow me to direct a quick word to my fellow American taxpayers who might lose out on an opportunity described below and thus might oppose these proposals. I ask potential opponents of this proposal this question: how sustainable is a retirement system that gives a select few Americans 10 times the tax-advantaged savings capacity as other Americans? 

Why fight to preserve your special tax break when the myriad special tax breaks make the entire system less and less sustainable? Does my proposal make everything entirely fair? Surely not, but, as you will see below, it makes the system much fairer and simpler. I believe that will make the system more sustainable over the long run, which is good for everyone. 

Lastly, retirement savings are far from the only component of the U.S. tax system needing legislative change. But, as you can see from my secondary qualifications above, retirement savings are of particular interest to me, so I’ll mostly limit my commentary here to tax law changes on retirement savings. 

Retirement Tax Reform Proposals

Expanded Universal Roth IRAs and Closing Backdoors

1. Eliminate the MAGI Limitation on annual Roth IRA contributions. Why is there an income limit on contributing to a Roth IRA, which does not produce a tax deduction? Further, removing the income limitation will align the United States Roth account rules with Canadian tax-free savings account rules. Canada does not have an income limit on the ability to contribute. Why should the United States? This proposal also ends the Backdoor Roth IRA. 

2. Increase annual IRA contribution limit (traditional and Roth) to $10,000, then index annually. It is time to shift retirement savings towards individuals. This will help expand individual and spousal contributions to retirement accounts, particularly Roth IRAs, and give individuals more control over their own retirement savings. This proposal makes individuals less reliant on their employer to offer a good retirement savings plan. 

In the 10 year budget window, proposals 1 and 2 will cost some money, but I suspect not a whole lot. In fact, this expansion of Roth IRAs might make Roths more attractive and cause some taxpayers to direct what would have been traditional, deductible 401(k) contributions to their Roth IRA, increasing tax revenue in the early years. 

3. Eliminate nondeductible contributions to IRAs and qualified plans, effective January 1, 2024. This ends Mega Backdoor Roth IRAs as of January 1, 2024. The Mega Backdoor Roth benefits only those few whose employers offer it and can afford to make after-tax contributions. The Mega Backdoor Roth, which only came to prominence starting in 2014, turbocharges the unfair advantages the retirement account system currently confers on a select few Americans (such as Josh in the example above).

As a result of eliminating the Mega Backdoor Roth, most of these contributions will be diverted to taxable accounts, which is not a horrible outcome for those currently taking advantage of the Mega Backdoor Roth. Further, those losing the Mega Backdoor Roth under this proposal gain expanded access to Roth IRAs under proposals 1, 2, and 4. 

4. Increase age 50 or older IRA (traditional and Roth) annual catch-up contribution from $1,000 to $2,000, index for inflation annually. The current $1,000 annual catch-up contribution limit is not enough move the needle in terms of likelihood of financial success in retirement. 

Eliminate Traditional Retirement Account Basis

5. Eliminate IRA Basis / after-tax 401(k) basis, effective January 1, 2027. The Pro-Rata Rule is an unnecessarily complicated rule for retirement account withdrawals. It has even created litigation. Basis record keeping is challenging and creates confusion. Enough already! 

This proposal eliminates retirement account basis recovery as of January 1, 2027. To be fair to those with retirement account basis, this proposal allows elective withdrawal of basis amounts from traditional retirement accounts (including inherited traditional retirement accounts) to taxable accounts during the 2024, 2025, and 2026 tax years. Any elective withdrawals of basis for the year would not count towards RMDs and could not be converted to Roth accounts. Regular withdrawals, RMDs, and Roth conversions in the year of an elective withdrawal of basis could not access existing basis. 

Eliminating basis eliminates page 1 of the Form 8606. This simplifies traditional retirement account withdrawals, inheriting traditional retirement accounts, and Roth conversions. In turn, this makes the retirement account provisions easier for the IRS to administer and easier for taxpayers to understand. 

Simplify and Rationalize Retirement Account Rules

6. Unify Roth account nonqualified withdrawal treatment such that the current Roth IRA nonqualified distribution rules apply to nonqualified Roth 401(k) distributions. The rules for Roth 401(k) nonqualified distributions are confusing, and can be avoided by rolling into a Roth IRA. Why not make them consistent?

7. Change the age for HSA catch-up contributions to age 50. Catch-up contributions to all accounts should kick-in at one, and only one, age. Make it age 50 for all accounts by changing the HSA catch-up contribution kick-in age from 55 to 50. Unifying the HSA/IRA/401(k) catch-up contribution age at age 50 makes the rules simpler. 

8. Unify rules for taking RMDs from traditional retirement accounts. Under this proposal, so long as the total required is taken during the year, it doesn’t matter which account (401(k), 403(b), IRA) or accounts the distributions come from. 

9. Eliminate NUA tax treatment. Net Unrealized Appreciation allows for employer stock in a 401(k) to get preferential tax treatment. As workers are already heavily economically tied to their employer (because of their salary and benefits), NUA treatment encourages something that probably should be discouraged (investing significantly in the stock of one’s own employer). Further, the NUA rules are complex. Removing them simplifies the tax code. 

10. Simplify treatment when spouses inherit a retirement account. Currently, there are three options and planning choices to be made when a spouse inherits a retirement account. The death of a spouse is challenging enough without having to make a complicated tax planning decision. New rule to simplify this: all retirement accounts inherited by spouses are deemed to be the inheriting spouse’s own retirement account as of the first spouse’s death. To prevent any early withdrawal penalties to surviving spouses under age 59 ½ due to this change, add a new 10% early withdrawal penalty exception: being widowed prior to age 59 ½. This new penalty exception applies to all widows and widowers for all pre-age 59 ½ retirement account distributions regardless of whether the widow/widower inherited a retirement account.  

11. Clarify the SECURE Act to provide that if the 10 year rule applies to an inherited account, RMDs do not apply to the account, other than in the final year of the 10 year window. The IRS came out with overly complicated proposed regulations requiring RMDs for many inherited accounts even though the 10 year rule applies to them. This clarification repeals the needlessly complicated proposed regulations, and the government’s interests are already adequately protected by the 10 year rule. 

12. Adopt a supercharged version of SECURE 2.0 Section 321. Allow the self-employed (generally those reporting self-employment income on Schedule C or through partnerships) to both establish a Solo 401(k) after year-end and make employee contributions to their Solo 401(k) before the tax return deadline for the taxable year. This eliminates the election required under Treas. Reg. Sec. 1.401(k)-1(a)(6)(iii). There’s no reason for a self-employed individual to have to make an election with themselves to make a retirement account contribution. This change would make the contribution deadline rules for self-employed employee contributions the exact same as the contribution deadline rules for self-employed employer contributions for every year (not just for the first year as Section 321 proposed to do). 

Combat Mega Retirement Accounts and Limit Benefits for the Very Rich

13. Eliminate (as of enactment) new tax-advantaged retirement account investments in private equity, venture capital, and companies 10% or more owned (by vote or value) by the account owner. These investments have allowed a very select few to accumulate hundreds of millions of dollars in IRAs. IRAs and qualified plans are best when they provide growth and capital preservation from diversified assets to fund retirement. They were never intended to create 9 figure-plus hoards of wealth sheltered from taxation. 

14. Required Accumulation Distribution (RAD) of 20 percent of the amount over $5M anytime all traditional accounts (IRAs and qualified plans) exceed $5M (indexed for inflation) at year-end for the following year prior to age 72. RAD of 20 percent of the amount over $5M anytime all Roth accounts (IRAs and qualified plans) exceed $5M (indexed for inflation) at year-end for the following year. Under this proposal, there would be no penalty on any RAD. RADs from Roths are treated as qualified distributions. This is much simpler than the Build Back Better proposals on mega retirement accounts. RADs from traditional accounts cannot be converted to Roth accounts. 

The hope is that after a while, there will be few, if any RADs. In a world without private equity and venture capital type investments in retirement accounts it will be quite difficult to accumulate in excess of $5M (adjusted for inflation) in either type of retirement account. The RAD rules do not need to apply to traditional retirement accounts at 72 and beyond, since the owner is already subject to the RMD rules. Inherited retirement accounts would be exempt from the RAD rules.  

Examples: Joe, age 65 in 2024, has $4.9 million in all traditional retirement accounts (401(k)s, IRAs, etc.) on December 31, 2023. He also has $4.9 million in all Roth retirement accounts (401(k)s, IRAs, etc.) on December 31, 2023. His 2024 RAD from traditional retirement accounts is $0, and his 2024 RAD from Roth retirement accounts is $0.

Sally, age 65 in 2024, has $7 million in all traditional retirement accounts (401(k)s, IRAs, etc.) on December 31, 2023. She also has $4 million in all Roth retirement accounts (401(k)s, IRAs, etc.) on December 31, 2023. Her 2024 RAD from traditional retirement accounts is $400,000 ($7M minus $5M times 20%), and her 2024 RAD from Roth retirement accounts is $0.

John, age 75 in 2024, has $7 million in all traditional retirement accounts (401(k)s, IRAs, etc.) on December 31, 2023. He also has $7 million in all Roth retirement accounts (401(k)s, IRAs, etc.) on December 31, 2023. His 2024 RAD from traditional retirement accounts is $0 (since he is 72 or older), and his 2024 RAD from Roth retirement accounts is $400,000. Under the existing rules (unchanged by this proposal), John is subject to RMDs in 2024 totalling $284,553 ($7M divided by 24.6) from his traditional retirement accounts (though see proposal 8 giving John more flexibility in terms of which account(s) he can take the RMDs from).

15. Cap at $25,000 the maximum annual amount that can be deferred by those with salaries (W-2, self-employment income) of $400K or more per year (indexed for inflation) under a Section 409A nonqualified deferred compensation plan. This rule change is logical considering (i) the tax law’s benefits for retirement saving have been too skewed towards helping a very affluent few who need the least amount of saving help, (ii) most of the beneficiaries of nonqualified deferred compensation plans are the ones doing best economically, and (iii) the need to provide more benefits of tax-advantaged retirement savings to a larger swath of Americans. Further, those losing a tax benefit because of this rule gain a significant benefit in the removal of income limits on Roth IRA contributions and the increased contribution limits. 

For administrative convenience, the new rule would not apply to any amount deferred at any time during one year and paid out at any time during the immediately following tax year.

Proposals 13, 14, and 15 raise revenue to expand the amounts that every worker can save in Roth IRAs, and some Americans will get increased deductible traditional IRA contributions because of proposals 2 and 4. 

Penalty Reform

16. New 20% penalty on all missed RADs and reduce the missed RMD penalty to 20%. The current 50% penalty on missed RMDs is unnecessarily punitive. 

17. Unify the exceptions to the 10 percent early withdrawal penalty so there is no difference between qualified plans and IRAs. It makes no sense that under current law there are some penalty exceptions only applicable to IRAs and some penalty exceptions applicable only to qualified plans. After this change, the only “plan only” exception would be the exception applicable to nonqualified 457(b) plans.

18. Change the Rule of 55 “separation from service” qualified plan penalty exception to be a broader, fairer age 55 need-based exception. Currently a 56 year-old CEO can leave their job and qualify for the penalty exception from their 401(k) but a 57 year-old teacher cannot qualify for the exception from an IRA. How does that make sense? 

New exception: Starting in the year one turns age 55, if AGI other than the taxpayer’s and/or their spouse’s potential Rule of 55 distribution(s) is less than $70K single, $110K MFJ (indexed for inflation), then the distribution (a “Rule of 55 distribution”) from the qualified plan or IRA is penalty free. Each person would have a $70K annual maximum (indexed for inflation) that could be accessed penalty free under this new, more rational Rule of 55 exception. In between $70K and $90K ($110K to $145K MFJ) of AGI (other than the potential Rule of 55 distributions), the $70K limitation per person is ratably reduced. 

The new Rule of 55 exception would be a Rule of 50 exception for public safety employees subject to the AGI limits described immediately above.

Eliminate Loopholes Benefitting Very Few

19. Age 15 requirement for IRA (traditional and Roth) contributions. Today a very few advantaged families can fund a retirement account for young children. Sometimes this takes the form of paying an infant a salary, which is at best questionable. Even with the elimination of this loophole, the family’s total annual Roth IRA contributions may be greater under this proposal. Instead of $6,500 per person ($19,500 total for family of 3), each parent can contribute $10,000 into a Roth IRA ($20,000 total). Of note, Canada requires being at least age 18 to make contributions to a tax-free savings account.

20. Eliminate the “super HSA” by deeming all persons covered by a HDHP other than the policyholder and their spouse to be a dependent of the policyholder for purposes of determining HSA contribution limits. The super HSA allows young adults covered by their parents’ high deductible health plans to put more into an HSA than most single HSA owners can. That’s not fair and illogical, and the super HSA is a loophole created not by Congressional intent but rather by the drafting technicalities used to create HSAs in IRC Section 223. 

Reform, Expand, and Simplify Qualified Birth Distributions

21. Reform, expand, and simplify SECURE Act Qualified Birth Distributions. Repeal as written in the SECURE Act. Capped at only $5,000 and confusing in their details, the current qualified birth distribution rules are not effective for parents. The new qualified birth distribution and recontributions rules would be as follows: 

For those under age 59 ½, up to $30,000 of distributions from qualified plans, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, traditional IRAs, and Roth IRAs per parent distributed within 18 months (9 months before and 9 months after) surrounding a birth and/or an adoption are presumed to be a qualified birth distribution (QBD) and as such (i) are not treated as distributions in the year of the distribution (and not subject to tax withholding) and (ii) can be rolled back into the account by the end of the third year following the distribution. Amounts not repaid to the account are treated as distributions from the account at the end of that third year (including for estimated tax purposes), and are excused from the 10% early withdrawal penalty (if the penalty would otherwise apply to the deemed distribution). No mandatory reporting requirements for the parents (other than for any deemed distribution at the end of the third year), but the IRS is authorized to provide a voluntary reporting form reporting qualified birth distributions and qualified birth recontributions. The new law would authorize financial institutions and plan providers to rely on taxpayer representations for both distributions and recontributions in issuing Forms 1099-R and 5498 and accepting recontributions. 

This is a good idea for several reasons. It means saving for retirement is not a hindrance to financial security when adults are considering whether to have children. Our country is facing a decline in births. This proposal helps parents use retirement accounts to help during pregnancy and after childbirth while not handicapping their retirement. People can invest in Roth IRAs, for example, knowing that the money can be available for both the initial expenses of childbirth and their future retirement. 

Unfortunately, saving for birth and saving for retirement can compete. New, more robust and parent-friendly qualified birth distributions can reduce this competition and allow retirement savings to help during pregnancy and the first nine months after birth. 

Here is an example of how it could work: Robert, age 30, is the father of Mark, born February 2, 2024. On December 1, 2023, Robert withdrew $30,000 from his Roth IRA. At the time of the distribution, Robert had previously made $23,000 of annual contributions to his Roth IRA. Robert’s recontribution deadline is December 31, 2026. On April 2, 2026, Robert recontributes $20,000 to the Roth IRA, and makes no other qualified birth recontributions. On December 31, 2026, the $10,000 Robert did not recontribute to the Roth IRA is deemed to be a distribution from the Roth IRA to Robert. Robert took no other distributions from his Roth IRA prior to December 31, 2026. Since Robert had $23,000 of previous Roth IRA contributions to his Roth IRA as of the end of 2023 and may have made further annual contributions to his Roth IRA after 2023, the deemed distribution of $10,000 is deemed to be return of old annual contributions (under the nonqualified distribution rules) on December 31, 2026 and thus not taxable to Robert. The deemed distribution reduces Robert’s previous annual Roth IRA contributions by $10,000 for purposes of the nonqualified distribution rules as applied to any future nonqualified distributions. 

As a practical matter, the combination of this proposal and proposals 1 and 2 are likely to result in most QBDs coming from Roth IRAs. Thus, most QBDs not recontributed to the Roth IRA will simply be nontaxable deemed distributions of previous Roth IRA annual contributions. 

The new QBD rules would include rules providing that retirement account direct trustee-to-trustee transfers, rollovers, and Roth conversions occurring during the QBD 18 month window are not considered QBDs so as to preserve each parent’s $30K limitation. For simplicity’s sake, each birth and adoption will be treated as a distinct event for QBD purposes. Under this simplicity convention, parents of twins can each take up to $60K of QBDs. In addition, the QBD rules will have no adverse effect on the adoption tax credit. Funds sourced from a QBD for qualified adoption expenses will remain fully eligible for adoption tax credits based on the existing adoption tax credit rules. Lastly, a birth for QBD purposes will include the birth of a baby the parents give up for adoption. 

Expand and Rationalize Remedial Measures for Retirement Accounts

22. Adopt a supercharged version of SECURE 2.0 Section 308. Enact section 308 (expanding the IRS Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System) and add a self-correction safe-harbor (available both before an IRS exam and during IRS examination activity) whereby all individual traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs, and SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, 401(k)s, and qualified plans involving 10 or fewer individuals/employees (including Solo 401(k)s) automatically qualify for self-correction and forgiveness of all penalties so long as (i) the account owner/plan sponsor implements reasonable corrections (such as refunding excess contributions and attributable earnings penalty free, subject to ordinary taxable income inclusion — in the year of the corrective distribution — for earnings and any returned contributions actually deducted on a tax return or previously excluded from taxable income), and (ii) the total amount in the plan or IRA has never exceeded $500,000 as of any year-end. For this purpose, accounts would only be aggregated for a person or plan sponsor at the same financial institution. The new rules would provide that financial institutions can rely on taxpayer representations in issuing Forms 1099-R to report corrective distributions. Financial institutions will continue to compute attributable earnings as they do under current regulations.

This proposal reduces penalties (such as excess contribution penalties) and helps ensure plans and IRAs remain qualified. Self-correction is much better for taxpayers and the IRS, particularly when accounts are relatively modest in size. Currently, the IRS offers the Voluntary Compliance Program for qualified plans. Since VCP covers very large employer plans, it is a very odd fit for Solo 401(k)s and would be an odd fit for traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs. It is much better to encourage the use of self-correction. This encourages compliance, makes correcting mistakes easier, reduces penalties, and makes the IRS’s oversight of modest sized retirement accounts easier and more effective. 

23. Repeal and reform section 403 of the SECURE Act as applied to Form 5500-EZ filings. The SECURE Act increased penalties for late filed Form 5500 Series filings by tenfold. While this may make sense for large employer plans, the increase in penalties drastically overshot the mark when it comes to small businesses filing the Form 5500-EZ. Under the new law, a self-employed Solo 401(k) owner could (theoretically) be liable for a $150,000 penalty for failing to file a two page informational tax return (the Form 5500-EZ). Such a penalty is excessive and obscene. While relief procedures are available, it is ridiculous that the penalty could be, at least in theory, so onerous. Replace the current $250 per day penalty with a flat $500 per late Form 5500-EZ penalty (capped at $2,000 per plan sponsor) that can be excused for either reasonable cause or a first time abatement distinct to the Form 5500-EZ return. Cap the IRS period to assess the penalty at four years from the original filing deadline. Further, make the new rules effective to all missed Form 5500-EZ filings regardless of when they occurred. In addition, increase the asset threshold whereby a Form 5500-EZ is required from $250,000 to $500,000 to account for the passage of time and inflation. The Form 5500-EZ would still be required at the closing of the plan under this proposal, regardless of account size. 

Repeal Traps for the Unwary

24. Eliminate the once-a-year IRA to IRA 60-day rollover limit. It’s a trap for the unwary and by eliminating it, the rules would be synchronized for all rollovers. The once-a-year limit makes no sense (as the 60-day time limit is sufficient to police money coming out of retirement accounts) and is punitive and unnecessary. 

25. Repeal the SIMPLE IRA 25% penalty for early distributions within the first two years of establishing the SIMPLE IRA. Under this rule, the 25% penalty even applies to rollovers to traditional IRAs within the first two years. It’s a trap for the unwary and should be fully repealed. 

Miscellaneous

26. Do not pass (or repeal if passed) the rest of SECURE 2.0, the EARN Act, and other related proposals, other than as discussed above. My opinion is that SECURE 2.0/EARN Act introduced changes that were at best marginally beneficial for Americans saving for retirement. Unfortunately, SECURE 2.0 has counterproductive provisions (such as eliminating the tax deduction for 401(k) catch-up contributions) and increases the complexity of the retirement account system. 

Revenue Raisers (If Needed)

My hope is that my proposals would reduce federal revenue over the 10 year budget window by only a fairly modest amount, as there are provisions that would cost the government money and proposals that would increase revenue. If this nets out to costing too much money in Congress’s judgment, I recommend the following tax increase: an increase (starting in 2024) of the top capital gain/qualified dividend income rate (currently 20%) by the amount needed to close the gap. Considering that the highest earners have done the best in recent years, and do receive benefits under the overall proposal (see proposals 1, 2, and 4), this tax increase is fair and helps many Americans save for retirement by funding expansion of Roth IRAs and reduction of penalties.

If any other tax increases are deemed necessary, I recommend that Congress consider an increase to the rate of the corporate book minimum tax and/or a tax on investment income of college endowments comprised of $1 billion or more of assets. These two proposals shift the tax burden to those who have benefited the most from the American economy in recent years. 

Landscape After Retirement Account Reform

Let’s return to Josh and Sarah. What might their tax-advantaged retirement account contributions look like after my proposed reform. Here’s Josh’s contributions:

401(k) Employee Deferral: $30,000

401(k) Employer Match: $9,000

Roth IRA: $12,000

Total traditional deductible contributions: $39,000, total Roth contributions: $12,000, total contributions: $51,000. Yes, Josh lost his Mega Backdoor Roth IRA. But, now instead of a gimmicky $7,500 Backdoor Roth IRA, he gets to simply make a $12,000 annual contribution to a Roth IRA. Further, Josh did not lose any tax deductions under my proposal. Josh can invest the difference between $81,000 (his old tax-advantaged contribution total) and $51,000 (his new tax-advantaged contribution total), $30,000, in a taxable account.

Sarah has significantly increased the amount of her contributions. She goes from a $7,500 annual contribution to a traditional deductible IRA or Roth IRA to a $12,000 traditional deductible or Roth IRA contribution. 

Perfect? No. But instead of a 10.8 to 1 ratio we have moved the needle significantly such that the ratio is now 4.25 to 1. Further, many of the retirement account rules are simpler and fairer. If Josh, Sarah, or other Americans run into problems with their retirement accounts, their remedial paths are likely to be easier to navigate and they are more likely to avoid onerous and unfair penalties. 

I believe that our retirement system would be significantly better if Congress passes and the President signs the 26 proposals I outlined above in 2023. If any of you have questions about the above, I would be happy to communicate with you and/or your staff about these proposals.

To my fellow Americans reading this letter, I’d be honored to read your comments in the comments section below. I’m sure there are other ideas that could simplify and improve retirement accounts. 

Sincerely,

Sean Mullaney

This post does not constitute accounting, financial, legal, investment, or tax advice. Please consult with your advisor(s) regarding your personal accounting, financial, legal, investment, and tax matters. Please also refer to the Disclaimer & Warning section found here.

2022 Year-End Tax Planning

Below are the main tax planning items for the year 2022 as I see them. Of course, this is educational information for the reader, and not tax advice directed toward any particular individual. 

The first two tax loss harvesting items are particularly unique to 2022 vis-a-vis recent years. 

Tax Loss Harvesting

2022 has given us plenty of lemons. For some Americans, it’s time to make some lemonade through tax loss harvesting. The deadline to do this and obtain a benefit on one’s 2022 tax return is December 31, 2022. 

Tax Loss Harvesting and Bonds

There is a tax loss harvesting opportunity in 2022 that has not existed in recent years to the scope and scale it exists today: tax loss harvesting with bonds and bond funds. In a recent post I went into that opportunity in detail and how it might create both a great tax loss harvesting opportunity and a great tax basketing opportunity. 

Tax Loss Harvesting Crypto

Many cryptocurrencies have declined in value. This can create a tax loss harvesting opportunity, regardless of whether the taxpayer wants to remain invested in crypto. To harvest the loss if one wants to get out of crypto, it’s easy: just sell the asset. For those wanting to stay in crypto, it’s not that much harder: sell the crypto (by December 31, 2022 if wanting the loss on their 2022 tax return) and they rebuy the crypto shortly thereafter. Crypto is not a “security” for wash sale purposes, and thus, repurchases of crypto are not subject to the wash sale rule, regardless of when they occur. 

Solo 401(k) Establishment

Quick Update 12/23/2022: My initial reading of SECURE 2.0 is that it does not change any 2022 Solo 401(k) deadlines. The one deadline it appears to change is effective starting for plan years beginning in 2023.

For Schedule C solopreneurs looking to make a 2022 employee contribution to a Solo 401(k), the Solo 401(k) must be established by December 31, 2022. This is NOT the sort of thing you want to try to do on December 30th. Almost certainly those trying to establish a Solo 401(k) will want to act well before the end of December, as it takes time to get the Solo 401(k) established prior to year-end. 

The deadline to establish a Solo 401(k) for an employer contribution is the tax return filing deadline. For individuals, this is April 18, 2023, but can be extended to October 15, 2023. For S corporations, this is March 15, 2023, but can be extended to September 15, 2023. 

Solo 401(k) Funding for Schedule C Solopreneurs

Employee elective deferral contributions (traditional and/or Roth) must meet one of two standards. Either (i) they must be made by December 31st or (ii) they are elected by December 31st and made by the tax return filing deadline, including any filed extensions. 

Employer contributions must be made by the tax return filing deadline, including any filed extensions. 

Roth Conversions 

Taxpayers with lower income (relative to the rest of their lives) may want to consider taxable conversions of traditional retirement accounts to Roth accounts. The deadline to get the Roth conversion on one’s 2022 tax return is December 31st, though it is not wise to wait until the last minute.

For the self-employed, there may be a unique opportunity to use Roth conversions to optimize the qualified business income deduction. 

Tax Gain Harvesting

For those finding themselves in the 12% or lower federal marginal income tax bracket and with an asset in a taxable account with a built-in gain, tax gain harvesting prior to December 31, 2022 may be a good tax tactic to increase basis without incurring additional federal income tax. Remember, though, the gain itself increases one’s taxable income, making it harder to stay within the 12% or lower marginal income tax bracket. 

HSA Funding Deadline

The deadline to fund an HSA for 2022 is April 18, 2023. Those who have not maximized their HSA through payroll deductions during the year may want to look into establishing payroll withholding for their HSA so as to take advantage of the payroll tax break available when HSAs are funded through payroll. 

The deadline for those age 55 and older to fund a Baby HSA for 2022 is April 18, 2023. 

Roth IRA Contribution Deadline

The deadline for funding a Roth IRA for 2022 is April 18, 2023. 

Backdoor Roth IRA

There’s no law saying “the deadline for the Backdoor Roth IRA is DATE X.” However, the deadline to make a nondeductible traditional IRA contribution for the 2022 tax year is April 18, 2023. Those doing the Backdoor Roth IRA for 2022 and doing the Roth conversion step in 2023 may want to consider the unique tax filing when that happens (what I refer to as a “Split-Year Backdoor Roth IRA”). 

Anyone who has already completed a Backdoor Roth IRA for 2022 should consider New Year’s Eve. December 31st is the deadline to be “clean” for 2022. Anyone who has done the Roth conversion step of a Backdoor Roth IRA during 2022 will want to consider (to the extent possible and desirable)  “cleaning up” all traditional IRAs, SEP IRAs, and SIMPLE IRAs as of December 31, 2022. 

Charitable Contributions

The deadline to make charitable contributions that can potentially be deducted on one’s 2022 tax return is December 31, 2022. Planning in this regard could include contributions to donor advised funds. If one is considering establishing a donor advised fund to get a deduction in 2022, I recommend moving well before December 31st, since it takes time for financial institutions to process donations and establish donor advised funds. 

RMDs from Your Own Retirement Account

The deadline to take any required minimum distributions from one’s own retirement account is December 31, 2022. Remember, the rules can get a bit confusing. Generally, IRAs can be aggregated for RMD purposes, but 401(k)s cannot. 

RMDs from Inherited Accounts

The deadline to take any RMDs from inherited retirement accounts is December 31st. For some beneficiaries of retirement accounts inherited during 2020 and 2021, the IRS has waived 2022 RMDs. That said, all beneficiaries of inherited retirement accounts may want to consider affirmatively taking distributions (in addition to RMDs, if any) before the end of 2022 to put the income into a lower tax year, if 2022 happens to be a lower taxable income year vis-a-vis future tax years. 

FI Tax Guy can be your financial planner! Find out more by visiting mullaneyfinancial.com

Follow me on Twitter at @SeanMoneyandTax

This post is for entertainment and educational purposes only. It does not constitute accounting, financial, legal, investment, or tax advice. Please consult with your advisor(s) regarding your personal accounting, financial, legal, investment, and tax matters. Please also refer to the Disclaimer & Warning section found here.

Sean on New Podcast Episodes

This week I’m on episodes of The Stacking Benjamins Show and the Earn & Invest podcast talking about taxes, retirement savings, and my new book, Solo 401(k): The Solopreneur’s Retirement Account.

I’ve also recently recorded, and will record, several other podcast episodes with some great podcast hosts, so please be on the lookout for those.

FI Tax Guy can be your financial planner! Find out more by visiting mullaneyfinancial.com

Follow me on Twitter at @SeanMoneyandTax

This post and the podcast episodes referenced in it, are for entertainment and educational purposes only. They do not constitute accounting, financial, legal, investment, or tax advice. Please consult with your advisor(s) regarding your personal accounting, financial, legal, and tax matters. Please also refer to the Disclaimer & Warning section found here.

Sean Presentation at CampFI

These are the slides for my presentation at CampFI in Julian, CA on October 8, 2022.

FI Tax Guy can be your financial planner! Find out more by visiting mullaneyfinancial.com

Follow me on Twitter at @SeanMoneyandTax

This post is for entertainment and educational purposes only. It does not constitute accounting, financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Please consult with your advisor(s) regarding your personal accounting, financial, investment, legal, and tax matters. Please also refer to the Disclaimer & Warning section found here.

Three Ways the Solo 401(k) Supports Financial Independence

Financial independence encourages thinking about one’s financial future in a different way. You were told to “build a career and retire at age 65.” Financial independence says you should write your own financial script. The system, your parents, and a large employer should not be the authors of your financial future.

Guess what goes perfectly well with a financial independence mentality? The Solo 401(k)! The Solo 401(k) helps you control today’s tax burden and helps you plan for your retirement your way. 

Here are three ways the Solo 401(k) can support the financial independence journey. 

Choice and Low Fees

One advantage of working for yourself is you gain control over your workplace retirement account. Solopreneurs themselves determine where their Solo 401(k) is established and the investment options available to them. They determine contribution levels and whether or not to contribute to a Roth account.

Solopreneurs are no longer at the mercy of a large employer’s 401(k) plan, which may not have the investments they want, a Roth option, and/or low fees. 

Further, many Solo 401(k) providers offer low or no fees to establish a Solo 401(k) with their institution. For example, today neither Schwab nor Fidelity charges Solo 401(k) fees, other than the fees of the underlying investments (such as mutual fund expenses). Vanguard charges $20 per mutual fund inside a Solo 401(k) (other than the underlying fund fees), though the $20 fee can be waived if the solopreneur has enough qualifying assets invested with Vanguard. 

Tax Rate Arbitrage

The Solo 401(k) supports very significant tax deductions. For those at their peak earning years, contributions to Solo 401(k)s can benefit from high marginal tax rates. Further, in certain circumstances, traditional deductible Solo 401(k) contributions can help solopreneurs qualify for the qualified business income deduction, increasing the marginal tax rate benefit of traditional, deductible Solo 401(k) contributions. 

During early retirement, retired solopreneurs can convert traditional retirement accounts to Roth accounts. Those Roth conversions can be sheltered by the standard deduction, and then taxed at the 10 percent and 12 percent marginal federal income tax rate. This arbitrage opportunity (deduct contributions at high marginal rates, later convert the contributions and earnings to Roth accounts at lower tax rates) can supercharge the journey to financial independence. 

Reducing MAGI for PTC Qualification

Many solopreneurs have their medical insurance through an Affordable Care Act plan. These plans often have hefty annual premiums. However, there is a Premium Tax Credit (“PTC”) that can significantly reduce the cost of those premiums.

PTCs decline as modified adjusted gross income (“MAGI”) increases. Very generally speaking, from a planning perspective, as MAGI increases, PTCs decline by approximately 10 to 15 percent. Solopreneurs can reduce MAGI by contributing to a traditional deductible Solo 401(k). That decrease in MAGI can significantly increase the PTC, defraying their ACA medical insurance premiums. 

Conclusion

The Solo 401(k) can help solopreneurs achieve financial independence. Chapter 13 of my new book, Solo 401(k): The Solopreneur’s Retirement Account, goes into further detail about marrying the Solo 401(k) with one’s own FI journey. The book is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other outlets. 

FI Tax Guy can be your financial planner! Find out more by visiting mullaneyfinancial.com

Follow me on Twitter at @SeanMoneyandTax

This post is for entertainment and educational purposes only. It does not constitute accounting, financial, legal, or tax advice. Please consult with your advisor(s) regarding your personal accounting, financial, legal, and tax matters. Please also refer to the Disclaimer & Warning section found here.

The Advantages of Living On Taxable Assets First in Early Retirement

The FIRE community loves the accumulation phase. Build up assets towards the goal of financial independence.

Questions increasingly creep in when it comes to the distribution phase. Members of the FIRE community wonder: what do I live on when I get to retirement? This is particularly true when one reaches early retirement prior to age 59 ½. 

Below I discuss the options and the reasons I believe that for many, the best assets to live off of first in early retirement are taxable assets. This analysis assumes the early retiree has access to some material amount of assets in each of the three tax baskets discussed below.

Early Retirement Drawdown Options

For most Americans reaching retirement prior to age 59 ½, there are three main tax baskets of assets that can be lived off prior to age 59 ½.

Taxable Assets: This can include cash in bank accounts, brokerage accounts (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs), and for some, income from rental properties. For purposes of this blog post, I will assume the early retiree does not own any rental real estate. 

Roth Basis/HSAs: Early retirees can live off of what I colloquially refer to as “Roth Basis.” Generally, Roth Basis is the sum of previous annual contributions to Roth accounts and Roth conversions that are at least five years old. Further, early retirees can harvest amounts in HSAs tax and penalty free to the extent that they have allowable previously unreimbursed qualified medical expenses (what I refer to as PUQME). HSAs can also be used for qualified medical expenses incurred in early retirement. 

Traditional Retirement Assets: Assets such as traditional 401(k)s and traditional IRAs. Generally “inaccessible” prior to turning age 59 ½ due to being subject to both ordinary income tax and the 10% early withdrawal penalty. However, there are exceptions to the early withdrawal penalty. They include:

  • Rule of 55: Separation from service from an employer after turning age 55 (exception available for withdrawals from that workplace retirement plan only).
  • 72(t) Payments: Establishing a series of substantially equal periodic payments.
  • Governmental 457(b) Plans

Drawbacks of Using Roth Basis/HSAs

Some might argue for using tax-free withdrawals of Roth Basis and HSAs to fund early retirement. This allows the early retiree to pay no taxes on funds used for living expenses. 

To my mind, the main drawback of doing so is opportunity cost. Removing assets from Roths and HSAs cuts off the opportunity for future tax free growth. 

As a general planning objective, many will want to let their Roths and HSAs grow as long as possible to maximize tax-free growth. 

Using Roths and HSAs can also have a significant drawback from a creditor protection perspective, as I will discuss below. 

Drawbacks of Using Traditional Retirement Assets

The below analysis assumes that the early retiree qualifies for an exception from the 10% early withdrawal penalty.

The biggest drawback to using traditional retirement accounts to live off of in early retirement is all living expenses become subject to federal and state income taxes. It puts the most important consideration (funding living expenses) in opposition to the secondary (but still important) consideration: tax planning.

Living off traditional retirement accounts in early retirement reduces tax planning flexibility. It reduces the ability to do tax-optimized Roth conversions in early retirement. In addition, living off traditional retirement accounts during early retirement can reduce Premium Tax Credits for those on Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) medical insurance plans.

Premium Tax Credit Planning: Many early retirees will use an Affordable Care Act medical insurance plan. The premiums are subsidized through a tax code mechanism: the Premium Tax Credit (the “PTC”). PTCs are reduced as the taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income (“MAGI”) increases. Very roughly speaking, for planning purposes, an additional dollar of MAGI often reduces the PTC by 10 to 15 cents, meaning early retirees using traditional retirement accounts to fund living expenses may be subject to a surtax of 10 to 15 percent on retirement account withdrawals due to PTC reduction. Resources for the PTC include this article and this spreadsheet. 

There’s an argument that it is good to live off traditional retirement accounts early because withdrawals used to fund living expenses reduce future required minimum distributions (“RMDs”). But one must consider that there are two types of withdrawals an early retiree can make from a traditional retirement account: an actual withdrawal or a Roth conversion. Both reduce future RMDs, but a Roth conversion is the most tax efficient withdrawal for the early retiree. Why? Because it sets up future tax-free growth! Actual withdrawals used for living expenses do not enhance future tax-free growth. 

Another drawback of using traditional retirement accounts to fund early retirement includes being constrained by the parameters of the applicable penalty exception. For example, needing to keep money inside a former employer’s retirement plan in order to qualify for the Rule of 55, or needing to withdraw precise amounts annually if using a 72(t) payment plan. Further, using traditional retirement accounts in early retirement has creditor protection drawbacks, discussed below. 

Advantages of Using Taxable Assets

Living off drawdowns of taxable assets can be a great way to fund the first expenses of early retirement. Here are some of the advantages. 

Zero Percent Long Term Capital Gains Rate

Early retirees worry: I need $60,000 of income to live my life. Won’t that create $60,000 of taxable income? 

If drawing from a taxable account, almost certainly it will not. Consider Judy, an early retiree needing $60,000 to pay her living expenses. If she sells $60,000 worth of the XYZ Mutual Fund (all of which she has owned for over a year), in which she has $40,000 of basis, her resulting taxable income is only $20,000. Not $60,000!

But it gets even better for Judy. The capital gain can qualify for the 0% federal long term capital gains tax rate. Outstanding! By using taxable assets, Judy may pay $0 federal income tax, and likely only a very small state income tax, on the money she uses to fund her living expenses. Pretty good. 

Even if Judy’s income puts her above the 0% federal capital gains tax bracket, (i) some of her capital gains will likely qualify for the 0% rate, and (ii) the next bracket is only a 15% tax rate.

Basis Recovery While Basis is Valuable

During 2022, we learned an important financial lesson: inflation is a thing. Retirement draw down planning should consider inflation. 

One way to fight inflation is to use tax basis before its value is inflated away. Tax basis is never adjusted for inflation. Thus, failing to harvest tax basis exposes the early retiree to the risk that future capital gains in taxable accounts will be subject to taxation on inflation gains. Early retirees should consider harvesting basis (like Judy in the above example) when the tax basis is its most valuable. 

Using taxable assets as the first assets to fund early retirement takes maximum advantage of tax basis, unless the U.S. dollar begins to deflate (a possible but not very likely long term outcome, in my opinion). 

Opens the Door for Roth Conversions

Now we get to the fun part. Roth conversions! Using taxable assets first for living expenses in early retirement facilitates conversions of amounts in traditional retirement accounts to Roth accounts. The idea is to have artificially low taxable income such that the taxpayer can do Roth conversions taxed at 0% federal (offset by the standard deduction) and then in the 10% or 12% tax bracket. Occasionally, it will be logical for the taxpayer to incur an even greater tax rate on such Roth conversions. 

These Roth conversions move assets to Roth accounts where they enjoy tax free growth. In addition, early retirement Roth conversions reduce future RMDs. 

There is a taxpayer-friendly rule that assists early retirement Roth conversion planning: long-term capital gains income is stacked on top of ordinary income in the tax computation. Thus, Roth conversions can benefit from being sheltered by the standard deduction (or itemized deductions if the taxpayer itemizes). This makes Roth conversion planning in early retirement that much better, as some Roth conversions can benefit from a 0% federal income tax rate. 

Further, this tells us it is generally better from a tax basketing perspective not to have bonds and other assets that generate ordinary income, since that income eats up part of the standard deduction, diminishing the opportunity to 0% taxed Roth conversions. One way to avoid having such ordinary income is to sell bonds, bond mutual funds, and other assets that generate ordinary income and use the proceeds to fund early retirement living expenses. 

Another advantage of early retirement Roth conversions is the reduction of the risk that future tax increases will drive up taxes on future traditional retirement account withdrawals.

Roth Conversions, ACA PTC Eligibility, and Medicaid

Lastly, there can be an ancillary benefit to Roth conversions. Taxpayers lose all ACA subsidies (thus, PTCs) if their MAGI is below certain thresholds. For example, a family of four in California with MAGI less than $41,400 (2023 number) would meet the income threshold for Medi-Cal (Medicaid in California) and thus would get no ACA PTC. 

Roth conversions can keep early retirees’ MAGI sufficiently high such that they do not meet the income threshold for Medicaid. By keeping MAGI above the Medicare threshold, early retirees can qualify for significant PTCs.

Creditor Protection

Financial assets can receive protection from creditors to varying degrees. Taxable brokerage accounts tend to have little, if any, creditor protection. 401(k) and other ERISA government workplace retirement accounts benefit from ERISA’s anti-alienation provisions. Generally speaking, only the IRS and an ex-spouse can get assets out of a 401(k). Traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs enjoy significant protection in bankruptcy. Traditional IRAs have varying degrees of non bankruptcy creditor protection, but in many states are fully protected. Roth IRAs are non bankruptcy protected in most states, but more states protect traditional IRAs than Roth IRAs.

HSAs do not enjoy federal bankruptcy protection, but do enjoy creditor protection in some states (to varying degrees).

By spending down taxable assets in early retirement, the early retiree optimizes for creditor protection in two ways. First, diminishing taxable assets by using them for living expenses reduces creditor vulnerable assets. Second, when an early retiree lives off taxable assets, they leave their more protected assets (traditional and Roth retirement accounts) to grow. Diminishing vulnerable assets while growing protected assets improves the early retiree’s balance sheet from a creditor protection perspective.

Lastly, early retirees should always consider personal umbrella liability insurance and other relevant property and casualty insurance for creditor protection. 

Premium Tax Credit Planning

Living off taxable assets in early retirement limits taxable income. This has a good side effect. It increases the potential PTC available for early retirees using an ACA medical insurance plan. 

Reducing Future Uncontrollable Taxable Income

Roths and HSAs are great because their taxable income is entirely controllable, and generally speaking should be $0. Even traditional retirement accounts have very controllable taxable income. There are no RMDs until age 72, and even then the amount of taxable income is quite modest for the first few years. 

Taxable assets, on the other hand, expose the early retiree to uncontrollable taxable income, in the form of interest, dividends, and capital gain distributions. You never know when a mutual fund or other investment will spit out a taxable dividend or capital gain distribution. Such income reduces the runway for tax planning and can reduce PTCs.

Further, in recent years, we have become accustomed to living in a low-yield world. In the past decade plus a taxable portfolio has kicked off (in many cases) income yields of 3%, 2%, or less. Thus, the tax hit from taxable assets has not been too bad for many. That said, low yields are not guaranteed in the future. It could be that yields will rise, and thus taxable assets will generate increasing amounts of taxable income. 

By living off taxable assets first, early retirees reduce and ultimately eliminate taxable interest, dividends, and capital gain distributions generated by holding assets in taxable accounts. This reduces the tax cost of the overall portfolio, and makes planning MAGI, taxable income, and tax paid annually an easier and potentially more beneficial exercise. 

I discuss the early retirement Roth Conversion Ladder strategy in this video.

Conclusion

In many cases, I believe that the tax optimal path for the early retiree is to live off taxable assets first in early retirement prior to accessing Roth Basis, HSAs, and traditional retirement accounts. Of course, this is not individualized advice for you or any other particular individual. Those considering early retirement are well advised to consider their future drawdown strategy as they are building their assets. Those already retired should consider their own particular circumstances and ways to optimize their drawdown strategy. 

FI Tax Guy can be your financial planner! Find out more by visiting mullaneyfinancial.com

Follow me on Twitter at @SeanMoneyandTax

This post is for entertainment and educational purposes only. It does not constitute accounting, financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Please consult with your advisor(s) regarding your personal accounting, financial, investment, legal, and tax matters. Please also refer to the Disclaimer & Warning section found here.

Baby HSA

Are you married? Age 55 or older? You might have an opportunity to open up a small health savings account and get a $1,000 annual tax deduction!

HSA Contribution Limits

Health Savings Accounts (“HSAs”) have annual contribution limits. The limits depend on two things: medical insurance coverage through a high deductible health plan (a “HDHP”) and age. Here are the 2024 HSA contribution limits (hat tip to Kay Bell).

AgeHDHP Self CoverageHDHP Family Coverage
Under Age 55$4,150$8,300
Age 55 or Older$5,150$9,300

Family HDHP Coverage

Family HDHP coverage is coverage of an insured plus either or both a spouse or a dependent(s). Coverage must be the only medical insurance coverage the person has. 

HSA Catch-Up Contributions

Those age 55 or older can contribute an extra $1,000 per person to an HSA every year. While the “normal” contribution limits ($4,150 self / $8,300 family) are indexed for inflation, the $1,000 annual catch-up contribution limit is not indexed for inflation.

Two additional notes: First, as a practical matter, at age 65 a taxpayer will no longer qualify for an HSA (and thus, the catch-up contribution). This is because at age 65 most Americans switch from a HDHP to Medicare for their medical insurance. 

Second, for IRAs and qualified plans (such as 401(k)s), the age to be eligible to make “catch-up” contributions is 50. For HSAs, the age is 55, not age 50. 

HSA Contribution Limits for Married Couples

The normal contribution limits are coordinated. Thus, the family contribution maximum for a married couple is normally $8,300, not $8,300 times two. Here’s an example of how that works: 

Example 1: Steven and Holly are married, both age 45, and covered by a family high deductible health plan for all of 2024. Thus, each has an HSA contribution limit of $8,300. However, when looking at Steven’s limit, we must look at what Holly has contributed to her HSA for 2024. If Holly contributes $8,300 to her HSA for 2024, then Steven’s HSA contribution limit is reduced by Holly’s contribution to $0. 

Interestingly enough, catch-up contributions are not coordinated. Let’s change the example to have Steven and Holly be both age 55.

Example 2: Steven and Holly are married, both age 55, and covered by a family high deductible health plan (provided by Holly’s employer) for all of 2024. Thus, each has an HSA contribution limit of $9,300. Holly maxes out her 2024 HSA ($9,300) through payroll withholding (to get the payroll tax exclusion as well as the income tax exclusion). When looking at Steven’s normal contribution limit, we must look at what Holly has contributed to her HSA for 2024. Since Holly maxed out her HSA, Steven’s normal contribution limit is $0. However, Steven’s catch-up contribution limit is still $1,000, since it is not reduced for contributions Holly made to her HSA.

Steven is eligible for what I refer to as a Baby HSA. He will need to find a financial institution which offers HSAs. He can contribute up to $1,000 to his Baby HSA for 2024. Even better, Steven and Holly will get a $1,000 tax deduction on their 2024 tax return which lowers their adjusted gross income. 

Note that Steven’s Baby HSA cannot just be simply added to Holly’s HSA. Each of them have their own limits, and an HSA is an account in the name of a single owner (the same as an IRA). Thus, Steven will need to reach out to a financial institution to establish his own HSA. 

Benefits of the Baby HSA

Yes, a $1,000 tax deduction is nice, but it is not life changing. Let’s not pooh-pooh it too quickly, however. Steven might qualify for 10 years of that $1,000 Baby HSA, which is $10,000 of tax deductions. Second, Steven and Holly get this deduction against adjusted gross income, which means that they won’t have to claim itemized deductions to obtain it. 

Third, most tax deductions require giving up money to get a tax benefit. Often we think about business deductions, charitable contributions, and home mortgage interest. It’s great to take tax deductions for those, but you are giving up the money. The deduction for a Baby HSA contribution is simply moving money from a taxable account to an HSA: it’s still your money!

Last, an HSA deduction/exclusion is better than a deduction/exclusion for a traditional 401(k) contribution. In exchange for the upfront tax benefit, the traditional 401(k) will be fully taxable when withdrawn later on. Not so with the HSA. As long as the HSA is used to pay qualified medical expenses and/or to reimburse PUQME, the money comes out tax-free. No wonder I’m so fond of HSAs!

One additional benefit for retirees is the $1,000 deducted for a Baby HSA is $1,000 more of Roth conversions that can be slotted in at a low tax rate. The HSA deduction also lowers both adjusted gross income and “modified adjusted gross income” for Premium Tax Credit purposes, making it valuable for early retiree tax planning.

One Spouse Under Age 55

What happens if one of the spouses is under age 55? Here’s an example:

Example 3: Steven (age 56) and Holly (age 52) are married and covered by a family high deductible health plan provided by Holly’s employer for all of 2024. Thus, Holly has an HSA contribution limit of $8,300. Steven has an HSA contribution limit of $9,300, computed as a $8,300 normal contribution limit plus a $1,000 catch-up contribution limit. Holly maxes out her 2024 HSA ($8,300) through payroll withholding. When looking at Steven’s normal contribution limit, we must look at what Holly has contributed to her HSA for 2024. Since Holly maxed out her HSA, Steven’s normal contribution limit is $0. However, Steven’s catch-up contribution limit is still $1,000, since it is not reduced for contributions Holly made to her HSA.

Because Steven was 55 or older during the year, he still gets to contribute $1,000 to his Baby HSA. Holly’s age and contributions are irrelevant because the catch-up contributions of one spouse are not limited by the age and contributions of the other spouse. 

Watch me discuss the Baby HSA on YouTube. Stay to the end to see me butcher some 80’s movie trivia.

Conclusion

The Baby HSA is a nice tax planning tactic for married individuals with a HDHP as their only medical insurance between turning age 55 and going on Medicare. While limited in scale, the Baby HSA can provide real tax benefits and later tax-free growth. Of note, some ACA plans qualify as HDHPs. This means that the Baby HSA opportunity will exist for some using ACA plans in early retirement, as well as those covered by a HDHP through an employer. 

FI Tax Guy can be your financial planner! Find out more by visiting mullaneyfinancial.com

Follow me on Twitter at @SeanMoneyandTax

This post is for entertainment and educational purposes only. It does not constitute accounting, financial, legal, or tax advice. Please consult with your advisor(s) regarding your personal accounting, financial, legal, and tax matters. Please also refer to the Disclaimer & Warning section found here.