Annuities: Why They Can Be a Smart Addition to Your Portfolio

Annuities: Why They Can Be a Smart Addition to Your Portfolio

When you think about building a strong retirement plan, most people focus on a mix of stocks, bonds, and cash. But for many retirees and pre-retirees, there’s another tool that can add stability, predictability, and confidence: annuities. Annuities aren’t...

Don’t Miss This Rule That Allows Smaller RMDs

  By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education If you are age 73 or older in 2026, you will need to take a required minimum distribution (RMD) from your IRA. Usually, an RMD is calculated using the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. However, if you are married...

Three Basic IRA Rules that Must Be Understood

  By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst Each year, in different cities, the Ed Slott team hosts several advisor training events for financial professionals serious about learning. These 2-day programs start with our cannonballing into the retirement account pool,...
Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary

Investors endured a volatile week on Wall Street as 4th quarter earnings continued to roll in.  Concerns about massive capital expenditures resurfaced after Amazon and Google announced $200 billion and $185 billion in capex, respectively.  This comes after last week’s...

Naming a Trust for a Minor as IRA Beneficiary

  By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education Everyone has heard the horror stories of how unneeded and unwanted trusts disrupted what should have been a smooth transition of wealth. However, it is important to recognize that estate planning for IRAs is...
Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary

Markets ended the week mixed.  With just over a third of the S&P 500 having reported fourth-quarter earnings, this earnings season appears much better than anticipated.  That said, despite better-than-expected results, many companies have sold off after the...
Why Annuities Can Be a Great Fit Heading Into 2026

Why Annuities Can Be a Great Fit Heading Into 2026

As we move into 2026, many investors are asking the same question: How do I protect what I’ve built—without giving up the ability to grow? That’s exactly where annuities can play a meaningful role. Annuities aren’t for everyone, and they’re not “one-size-fits-all,”...

Best of the 2025 Slott Report

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education ‘Tis the season for lists! Best TV shows, best of music and best podcasts. The lists go on and on. In the spirit of year-end lists, we present the “Best of the 2025 Slott Report.” Here are the retirement account...

Grinch Gifts: Penalties and Missed Opportunities

  By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF® IRA Analyst The Grinch likes it when things go horribly wrong. He likes it when rambunctious pets tip over Christmas trees. He likes it when festive lights get terribly tangled, and he likes it when holiday cards are lost in the mail....
Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary

The Christmas-shortened week produced gains across all major US indices, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones hitting record highs.  Mega-cap Tech assumed its leadership role with the semiconductor sector having relative strength.   Nvidia announced a $20 billion deal...

Holiday Cheers and Jeers

  By Ian Berger, JD IRA Analyst In the spirit of the holiday season, here’s a list of cheers and jeers for the IRS and Congress: Cheers to the IRS: To its credit, the IRS did issue timely guidance on two retirement-related provisions set to kick in next year. The...

5 Exceptions to the Year End 2025 RMD Deadline

By Sarah Brenner, JD Director of Retirement Education The holidays are here and the countdown to year’s end has started. For many retirement account owners, this means that an important deadline is fast approaching. Most of those who are age 73 or older will need to...
Weekly Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary

US markets finished the week mixed, with a late-week rally in technology mitigating early-week losses.  Micron Technology’s third-quarter results were excellent and helped propel technology stocks after the announcement.  Western Digital, Seagate, and Sandisk, other...