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Liz Weston

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

March 31, 2020 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: What to do if you’re laid off due to Coronavirus. Also in the news: Coronavirus relief for small businesses and the self-employed, free ways to protect your mental health, and 4 things to do for your parents during the Coronavirus outbreak.

What to Do if You’re Laid Off Due to Coronavirus
One step at a time.

Coronavirus Relief for Small Businesses and the Self-Employed
What the CARES Act offers.

Free Ways to Protect Your Mental Health
Just as important as your physical health.

Do These 4 Things for Your Parents During Coronavirus Outbreak
We all need to take care of each other.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: Coronavirus, elder parents, mental health, self-employed, small businesses, unemployment

Monday’s need-to-know money news

March 30, 2020 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: Does life insurance cover deaths from Coronavirus? Also in the news: Everything you need to know about Coronavirus stimulus checks, how expanded Coronavirus unemployment benefits work, and what to do if you can’t pay rent this month.

Does Life Insurance Cover Deaths From Coronavirus?
Looking at the exceptions.

Coronavirus Stimulus Checks: How Much You May Get and When
All the details.

How Expanded Coronavirus Unemployment Benefits Work
Independent contractors are covered.

What to Do if You Can’t Pay Rent This Month
Face the problem head-on.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: Coronavirus, life insurance, rent, stimulus checks, unemployment

Q&A: Inheriting an IRA can get messy

March 30, 2020 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: My brother passed away at age 47. My mother was named beneficiary of his retirement account. We opened an inherited IRA under her name. Sadly, my mother recently passed away, and my father is the beneficiary of the account. Does my father open a regular IRA or inherited IRA? How would the title on the account be listed with my mother and brother deceased? Are they both listed?

Answer: Inheriting an inherited IRA complicates an already complex set of rules.

The regulations are different depending on whether the person inheriting is a spouse. Spouses can treat the inherited account as their own. They can leave the money where it is, make new contributions or transfer the funds to another retirement account they own. They also have more flexibility in how to take required minimum distributions from the account.

Non-spouse beneficiaries, like your mother, don’t have the option of treating the IRA as their own. They must set up a new inherited IRA and start distributions. Until this year, non-spouse beneficiaries could take distributions over their lifetimes. Now non-spouse beneficiaries are required to drain their inherited IRAs within 10 years.

How the account is titled is important, because improper titling can cause it to lose tax deferral and accelerate the tax bill. Let’s say your brother’s name was Tom Johnson and he died in March 2019, leaving his IRA to your mother, Mabel Johnson. A correct title for the new inherited IRA would be “Tom Johnson (deceased March 2019) Inherited IRA for the benefit of Mabel Johnson.”

Your family’s situation creates a hybrid of the two situations. Your dad would have an inherited spousal IRA, but his mandatory withdrawals would be based on your mother’s required minimum distributions, said Mark Luscombe, principal analyst for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting.

Your dad should open a new inherited IRA, Luscombe says. Assuming his name is Bill Johnson, the title of the inherited IRA should be “Tom Johnson (deceased March 2019) Inherited IRA for the benefit of Bill Johnson, successor beneficiary of Mabel Johnson.”

Filed Under: Inheritance, Q&A Tagged With: Inheritance, IRA, q&a

Q&A: Car repo is a nonstarter

March 30, 2020 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: I had to move to assisted living due to a stroke. I no longer need my car — or the car payment. Can I simply stop paying and let it be repossessed? There are about 18 months to go before it’s paid off. I don’t need great credit anymore and our current expenses exceed our income.

Answer: If you’re that close to paying off the loan, then you probably have a good chunk of equity. It would be a shame to lose any of that value to the costs of repossession.

Typically repossessed cars are sold at auction, often for less than their resale value. The proceeds, minus the expenses of repossessing and preparing the car, are applied to your loan. You’d only get what’s left over. (If what’s left over is less than what you owe, the amount is added to your debt.)

This bad financial outcome is on top of the damage done to your credit, which can be substantial. Even if you think it unlikely you’ll need credit again, you don’t know for sure that you won’t.

If you have the option of selling the car to a private party or dealer — or asking a trusted friend or relative to help you do so — that’s usually a much better way to go than letting the vehicle be repossessed.

Filed Under: Credit & Debt, Q&A Tagged With: car payments, Credit, q&a, repossession

Q&A: Those IRS coronavirus-extended deadlines apply to more than just taxes

March 30, 2020 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: Now that we’re not required to file our taxes until July 15 this year, has anything been said about pushing back the 2019 contribution deadline for IRAs and Roth IRAs?

Answer: The IRS recently confirmed that the deadline for making contributions to IRAs has also been extended to July 15. The deadlines were pushed back from April 15 because of stay-at-home orders and other disruptions stemming from the coronavirus outbreak.

You can contribute up to $6,000 to IRAs for 2019 if you’re under 50, or $7,000 if you’re 50 or older. The limits are the same for 2020.

You didn’t ask, but the deadline for contributing to a health savings account also has been extended.

HSAs allow people with qualifying high-deductible health insurance plans to put away money that can be used tax-free for eligible medical expenses. The maximum amount individuals can contribute to an HSA is $3,500 for individual coverage and $7,000 for family coverage. The “catch up” provision for people 55 and older allows an additional $1,000 contribution.

Filed Under: Q&A, Taxes Tagged With: Coronavirus, IRS deadlines, q&a

Friday’s need-to-know money news

March 27, 2020 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: 7 credit card rules you can break in an emergency. Also in the news: How Gen X can start tackling its credit card debt, 6 tips to help your portfolio weather the coronavirus crash, and how to prep for and spend your government relief check.

7 Credit Card ‘Rules’ You Can Break in an Emergency
Times are different.

How Gen X Can Start Tackling Its Credit Card Debt
Don’t put it off any longer.

6 Tips to Help Your Portfolio Weather the Coronavirus Crash
Slow and steady.

How to Prep for and Spend Your Government Relief Check
Getting the most from your check.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: Coronavirus, credit card debt, credit card rules, Credit Cards, Generation X. tips, investment portfolio, stimulus check

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