Estate Planning for Retirement Benefits: Risks, Rewards, and Traps for the Unwary

The disposition of retirement plan benefits, both during the account owner’s life and after his or her death, is controlled to a large degree by federal tax law. These laws are complex and difficult to navigate, but failing to comply with them can be costly. A misstep can accelerate the taxation of plan benefits, subject the account owner to IRS penalties, and ultimately decrease the value of benefits available for distribution to the account owner and his or her beneficiaries. In this seminar, attorney Doug Smith will discuss the required minimum distribution rules, spousal rollovers, charitable planning with retirement benefits, naming a trust as a plan beneficiary, as well as pending legislation that could fundamentally change the distribution rules for inherited plan benefits.