Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits

Introduction

This book is the professional advisor’s guide to required minimum distributions, rollovers,

Roth conversions, and dozens of other tax code creations that our clients must navigate if they own

an IRA or participate in a qualified retirement plan. With this book, you can help your clients defer

or reduce taxes, avoid penalties, and preserve their retirement benefits.

The tax rules governing retirement benefits grow ever more complex. Every day I hear of

individuals who have stumbled on these rules and dropped their retirement benefits into the hands

of the IRS. Yet with proper care and attention all the pitfalls can be avoided. The purpose of this

book is to explain, for the benefit of my fellow estate planning lawyers, and all tax and financial

services professionals involved in helping individuals plan for distribution and preservation of

their retirement benefits, as many of the applicable rules and planning considerations as I can fit

into 600 pages.

Don’t let these rules trap you or your clients. Keep this book by your desk and get the facts.

Find what you need quickly using the Index, Table of Contents, and Road Maps (see back cover).

If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, or you don’t understand it, or you disagree with

it, please email me at

Limitations of this Book

Many important aspects of planning for retirement distributions are

not

covered in this

book, including investment alternatives and financial planning considerations generally. This book

also does not cover:

plans; qualified domestic relations orders (QDROs); stock options and

other nonqualified forms of deferred compensation; ESOPs; creditors’ rights; state tax issues; and

community property.

This book is designed to explain estate planning and tax planning issues for the benefit of

estate and financial planners who are counseling individuals (and their beneficiaries) who have

assets in retirement plans. It does not cover issues which are of concern to plan administrators, but

do not have a significant impact on planning decisions for the individual participant.

This book deals with the

federal

tax law applicable to retirement benefits. Planners will

need to determine what impact, if any, state law has with respect to their clients.