Our guest on the podcast is retirement and tax expert, Ed Slott. He is president and founder of Ed Slott and Company, which provides retirement and tax planning education to investment advisors and financial institutions. Ed has written several books including the recently published Ed Slott's Retirement Decisions Guide: 2020 Edition and Fund Your Future: A Tax-Smart Savings Plan in Your 20s and 30s. PBS viewers may know Ed from his frequent appearances on public television. He also hosts the popular website irahelp.com, where The Slott Report blog regularly dispenses wisdom about retirement, tax, and estate planning. He provides a monthly Q&A column to AARP and is also a contributing columnist and media resource to Financial Planning, Financial Advisor, and InvestmentNews magazines. Ed is a certified public accountant.

Background
Ed Slott bio

The Slott Report blog

Books by Ed Slott

Ed Slott AARP articles

Ed Slott InvestmentNews articles

Ed Slott Financial Planning articles

IRAs and Conversions
Tax-deferred definition

A Comprehensive Guide to Tax Treatment of Roth IRA Distributions

Roth IRA Conversion Rules

“New Tax Law Provides the Opportunity for Tax-Rate Arbitrage on Roth IRAs,” by Ed Slott, InvestmentNews, Feb. 15, 2018.

“Seize the Opportunity to Convert to Roths,” by Christine Benz and Ed Slott, Morningstar.com, April 1, 2020.

“Rothification?” by Sarah Brenner, Irahelp.com, Oct. 16, 2017.

Backdoor Roth IRA definition

“The Definitive Guide to the Back-Door Roth,” by Jeffrey Levine, Irahelp.com, Aug. 12, 2015.

“Backdoor Roth IRA Conversions Alive and Well,” by Christine Benz and Ed Slott, Morningstar.com, Aug. 14, 2018.

“Am I Too Old for an IRA Conversion?” by Christine Benz and Ed Slott, Aug. 21, 2018.

“When IRA Conversions Don’t Add Up,” by Christine Benz, Morningstar.com, June 1, 2020.

Required Minimum Distributions
Required minimum distribution definition

“The CARES Act and 2020 RMDs,” by Ian Berger, Irahelp.com, Aug. 6, 2020.

“The 411 on RMDs for 2020,” by Christine Benz, Morningstar.com, April 22, 2020.

“SECURE Act Targets Minimum Distribution Rules,” by Natalie Choate, Morningstar.com, Jan. 8, 2020. 

Charitable Giving
“QCDs: Still Available in 2020 and Still a Good Strategy,” by Sarah Brenner, irahelp.com, April 20, 2020. 

“How Charitable Giving Is Changing in 2020,” by Christine Benz, Morningstar.com, April 20, 2020.

"Morningstar’s Guide to Donor-Advised Funds," Morningstar.com, Nov. 20, 2018.

Modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) definition

Estate Planning
“Did the SECURE Act Kill the Stretch IRA?” by Ed Slott, AARP.com, Feb. 27, 2020.

“10 Things to Know about the SECURE Act’s 10-Year Rule,” by Sarah Brenner, IRAhelp.com, Feb. 26, 2020.

Step-up in Basis definition

Stretch IRA definition