Posts tagged "Adjusted"

Rollover Traditional IRA to Roth – How much Tax will I pay if Adjusted Gross Income is almost 0?

Hi,

I am a U.S. citizen living in Argentina as a permanent resident, with my wife (dual U.S./Argentinean citizen) and my son (dual as well). Almost all of my income qualifies for the Foreign earned income exclusion. I have about $20,000 in a traditional IRA that I contributed to prior to the move. My question: If I convert this to a Roth IRA, how can I calculate how much penalty I’ll have to pay? I suspect that if I convert less than the standard deduction amount on my tax return, that I won’t have to pay anything, but perhaps I’m missing something. I googled for a little while, but couldn’t find how to calculate this. Maybe i should have just gone directly to IRS website and read the tax code.

Thanks,

Jason


How can I lower my Adjusted Gross Income?

I’m self employed; make only a few thousand after expenses however I do have interest income.
I already have a regular IRA and contribute the maximum I can based on my self-employment income into the regular IRA.
Would opening an additional SEP IRA help to lower my AGI or is that impossible to do since I already contribute the maximum I can to my regular IRA?
Anything else that could help lower my AGI?
Thanks :)


Vivendi First-Half Adjusted Net Rises 4%; Raises Targets

U.S. Manufacturing Can Return, Casesa and Keller Say: Tom Keene
U.S. manufacturing can rebound if plants are competitive and unburdened by “legacy issues,” according to John Casesa of Casesa & Co. and Maryann Keller, president of Maryann Keller & Associates LLC.

Read more on BusinessWeek

European Stocks Climb; Stoxx 600 Index Rises 0.4%
European stocks gained as Chinese manufacturing accelerated and Australia’s economy expanded at the fastest pace in three years.

Read more on BusinessWeek

Burger King Rises in Early Trading on Report of Sale
Burger King Holdings Inc. rose as much as 16 percent in early trading after the Wall Street Journal said the fast-food chain is in talks with buyout firms on a possible sale.

Read more on BusinessWeek

Bundesbank Says Talks With Board Member Sarrazin Continuing
The Bundesbank said its talks with board member Thilo Sarrazin are ongoing and it won’t make any announcement on the issue before tomorrow.

Read more on BusinessWeek

Vivendi First-Half Adjusted Net Rises 4%; Raises Targets
Vivendi SA first-half adjusted net rose 4 percent to 1.53 billion euros. The company raised its target for the full year.

Read more on BusinessWeek


Roth IRA Conversions – Eligibility, Types of Conversions and Adjusted Gross Income Limits

The Roth IRA is a better choice than traditional IRA because contributions are made after-tax adding greater tax leverage to your retirement savings allowing you to grow your savings tax-free and withdraw them tax-free! What happens if you already have a traditional IRA and would like to convert it to a Roth IRA? This is where Roth IRA conversions come into play!

Qualified Roth IRA Conversion

In order to successfully convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, the conversion must be ‘qualified.’ Roth IRA conversions are treated as rollovers at all times, regardless of the method used. There are 3 of these methods, discussed below:

i) Rollover – You can take a distribution from a traditional IRA and roll it over to a Roth IRA within 60 days. To meet the 60 day rule, count the day you receive the check and include the day when you deposit the money into your Roth IRA. For example if you get the check on April 1st, 2010, you must have it deposited by May 30th, 2010. There is no extension granted for holidays and weekends.

ii) Trustee-to-trustee transfer – You can instruct the trustee of your traditional IRA to make a direct payment to the trustee of your Roth IRA. This is also considered a qualified rollover.

iii) Same-trustee transfer – If you have only 1 trustee for both your traditional IRA and your Roth IRA, you should instruct the trustee to transfer directly from traditional to Roth IRA.

Adjusted Gross Income Limits

The law states that if your adjusted gross income (AGI) is greater than $100,000, you cannot convert from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. This law applies to both singles, married filing joint & head of household filers. Note that if you are filing a married-filing-separate tax return, you are not eligible to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA at all, no matter what your adjusted gross income is.

An interesting question asked is, what if you made a Roth conversion last January and find out that your adjusted gross income will exceed $100,000? If this happens, there is nothing to worry about. You can convert your Roth IRA back to a traditional IRA via a few simple procedures known as IRA Recharacterizations.

Example

John has an AGI of $85,000. He also has a traditional IRA of $55,000 that he would like to convert to a Roth IRA. John’s official adjusted gross limit (AGI) threshold for the year would be $85,000. Note we do not include the $55,000 conversion in the AGI limit because the law forbids that.

John has an AGI of $85,000. He also has a traditional IRA of $55,000 that he would like to convert to a Roth IRA. John’s official adjusted gross limit (AGI) threshold for the year would be $85,000. Note we do not include the $55,000 conversion in the AGI limit because the law forbids that.

Conversion Tax Effects

So you’ve decided to make a Roth conversion; there are some tax consequences you should consider before doing so. Funds converted from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA that would have been taxable if the distribution had not occured as a ‘qualified rollover’ will be subject to income taxes at your current tax bracket. If your traditional IRA consists of prior deductible contributions (contributions that you have already deducted from your employment income to give you a tax break) will be taxed at the time of the conversion. Similarly, if your traditional IRA consists of prior non-deductible contributions (contributions that you have NOT deducted from your employment income to give you a tax break) will NOT be taxed at the time of the conversion.

Also note that if your IRA consists of funds from a prior rollover from another qualified retirement plan such as 401k, 403b plan, SEP plan, etc, all of the funds converted will be taxable at the time of conversion. Because the conversion you are making is ‘qualified’, there is no need for you to pay the 10% early withdrawal penalty, thus exempting you from that.

Author is a professional freelance writer for Roth IRA investment services.


Which of the following reduce an individuals adjusted gross income, Traditional IRA or Roth IRA, both or none?

I know or at least am certain the Traditional IRA correct but I am not sure if the Roth would be.
Thank you to everyone.


Roth IRA-Modified Gross Adjusted Income

Roth IRA is a non-traditional form of Individual Retirement Account created in 1998 (Public Law 105-34) sponsored by US Senator William Roth of Delaware. The main advantage of a Roth IRA is its tax structure:1) Contributions are not tax-deductible.2) Withdrawals are tax-free.3) Transactions within the Roth IRA (interest, dividends, capital gains) are not-taxable.Contributions to Roth IRA based on Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI)Contributions to a Roth IRA are limited. For 2008 Roth IRA contributions are limited to $5,000 for those individuals age 49 and below, $6,000 for those above the age of 50. Starting in 2009, contribution limits will increase in $500 increments based on inflation. Contributions are based on the Taxpayer’s Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI). Ranges for 2008 are:1) Single filers: Up to $101,000 of MAGI to qualify for the full $5,000 contribution $6,000 if you are over the age of 50, and partial contribution for MAGI between $101,000 to $116,000.2) Joint filers: Up to $156,000 of MAGI for the full contribution and partial contribution for MAGI between $159,000 and $169,000.Cons of a Roth IRA, traditional IRA, 401kWhat’s wrong with Roth IRA and other traditional IRAs and 401Ks? Qualified contributions are “peanuts” for those of us in high income tax brackets. Contribution limitations are too restrictive. There are countless complex rules to qualify, withdrawals are too restrictive, transactions are too restrictive, and for most of us – it’s financially too risky when pegged to the ups and downs of the stock-market, the housing bubble, the declining dollar, and the rate of inflation.Pros of a Roth IRAWhat’s good about Roth IRA is that withdrawals are tax-free. Once the account is “seasoned” meaning that the account must be in existence for a minimum of 5 years, withdrawals after attaining your age 59 1/2 or the owner is disabled, are considered qualified and tax-free.Best IRA retirement plan-Roth on ROIDS™What’s superior to a Roth IRA? An infinite Roth IRA – a Roth on ROIDS™ (Roth on steROIDS™). There are no contribution limitations, no complex rules in order to qualify, your money never goes backwards (no loss of market risk, no ups and downs with the stock-market), your transaction interest, dividends, and capital gains accumulate tax-free, and when correctly structured distributions are tax-free. For those of us in the higher tax brackets it’s one of the last tax-free strategies in the face of diminishing IRS loopholes.Infinite Roth IRA & Cash Value Life Insurance (IRA Insurance)The “infinite Roth” is Cash Value Life Insurance. There are No limitations on the amount you can fund into a cash value life insurance. No complex rules to qualify. You may fund with $20,000; $30,000.00; $100,000 per year and higher. The only limitations are your insurability and the size of your pocketbook it’s a Roth on ROIDS™. The primary financial goal is tax-free growth and tax-free distributions; the secondary goal is the life insurance death benefit.For years and years, I hated insurance sales people where the word “no” meant I’ll call back tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. Finally, I have come to the conclusion that insurance has a place within our tax-advantaged investment horizon. Appropriately positioned, it’s the last tax-free Loophole. Insurance companies do not pay income taxes. Investments within the insurance company are not taxed (think of it like a safe-deposit box inside the insurance company, much like your safe-deposit box inside your bank), and with new insurance products, they have convinced me to take another look, sure enough, it worth your consideration: tax-free growth, tax-free distributions, and if suitably prearranged –tax-free death benefit.This statement is required by IRS regulations (31 CFR Part 10, §10.35): Circular 230 disclaimer: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

Best IRA Rescue provides services on your IRA investments and traditional IRA and will help you reduce your inherited and beneficiary independent retirement account taxes in your estate assets. Roth on ROIDS is your advanced Roth IRA retirement planning strategy and one of the best IRA tax-savings strategies with benefits of a guaranteed death benefit, guaranteed principal, tax-free growth, and tax-free distributions from policy loans.
Contact us if you have any questions on your IRA retirement planning. Best IRA Rescue-Roth IRA planning. Original article: Roth IRA & Modified Gross Adjusted Income
Boston, MA: 71 Commercial Street #150 Boston, MA 02109
California: 543 Victoria Ste. J, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
toll-free: 888-93ULTRA (888-938-5872)
tel: +1.508.429.0011
fax: +1.508.429.3034