There may come a time in your life when you simply need some money. As a general rule, taking money from an IRA, 401k, or other retirement plan for “non-retirement” purposes is ill advised. However, there can be some exceptions. Perhaps you bought a home without selling your current one and need funds to bridge the closing dates. The IRS allows you to withdraw funds from an IRA and avoid income taxes and a 10% penalty (if under age 59.5) by rolling the money back into the IRA within 60 days. This can be done once every 12 months. The gray area had been whether the 12-month rollover applies to each separate IRA or to all of your IRAs. In February 2014 a court ruling stated that this rule applies on an aggregate basis for all of your IRAs. Therefore, the strategy can still be used, but proper planning will be even more important in order to make sure the transaction is nontaxable.
Timothy Wyman, CFP®, JD is the Managing Partner and Financial Planner at Center for Financial Planning, Inc. and is a frequent contributor to national media including appearances on Good Morning America Weekend Edition and WDIV Channel 4 News and published articles including Forbes and The Wall Street Journal. A leader in his profession, Tim served on the National Board of Directors for the 28,000 member Financial Planning Association™ (FPA®), trained and mentored hundreds of CFP® practitioners and is a frequent speaker to organizations and businesses on various financial planning topics.
The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and does not constitute a recommendation. Any opinions are those of Center for Financial Planning, Inc. and not necessarily those of RJFS or Raymond James. You should discuss any tax or legal matters with the appropriate professional. C14-011297