Eligible Designated Beneficiary What exactly does it mean to be an “eligible designated beneficiary” of a Traditional IRA? Here is the short answer – an eligible designated beneficiary is exempt from the now-infamous stretch IRA killer known as the 10-year distribution rule. For IRA owners dying in or after 2020, the 10-year distribution rule kills…

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Course: Insurance PlanningLesson 14: Purchasing and Pricing Life Insurance Student Question: The surrender cost index is so confusing in terms of what I need to know. And could you provide a definition for the annuity due factor? Matt Instructor Response: HI Matt,  This can be confusing.  Let’s take a full step back for perspective.  The purpose of the Surrender Cost Index is…

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Good to Know Once upon a time in a land not so far away, it was possible to defer (stretch) IRA retirement distributions over multiple generations at the death of an IRA owner. That idyllic time was before 2019 and the land in question is these United States of America. During that pre-2020 period, it…

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Course: Retirement PlanningLesson 1: Using IRAs to Build and Distribute More Retirement Income Student Question: I am confused about this calculation (question below). If I use 20 years instead of 15 years,  my need is now $90,305 from my own savings. The math makes sense but  the answer does not. If I have an additional 5 years to save, shouldn’t the required out-of-pocket cash be less…

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Course: Fundamentals of Financial PlanningLesson 9: CFP Board Regulatory Requirements Student Question: For sub-section iv of Standard A-10(a), I’m a bit confused as to who that applies to. Does this apply to the certificate holder or the client? Will Instructor Response: Hi William- Thank you for the question. In A(10)a-IV, the CFP® certificant must provide this information to the client. Bruce Student Question: I…

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Good to Know The juggernaut of student loan debt is a sad fact of life today for many families. But what if you could avoid or reduce student loan debt for you, your family and your clients? If that sounds unlikely, join us as we dispel three common myths that just might lighten the debt…

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Course: Fundamentals of Financial PlanningLesson 4: Managing Cash Flow and Debt Student Question: I’m making sure I understand the means test. If the person is trying to file Section 7 to get rid of debt but the means test shows they can cover their allowable expense, will they be forced to file Section 13 and have to do a repayment plan? It appears the means test is…

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CFP Board Exam Registrants – Be sure to take CFP Board’s Practice Exam What could be better for exam preparation than taking a full six-hour, timed practice exam offered by the CFP Board? Receiving this resource free is better! The cost of CFP Board’s full, 170-question practice exam is normally $249. If you registered to…

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Course: Fundamentals of Financial PlanningLesson 5: Using the Calculator Student Question: I am confused as to how to get the correct answer for question number 4. Jackie invests her bonus at the beginning of this calendar year. If she earns 7% compounded monthly, what is the annual equivalent rate? Round your answer to two decimal places. I solve for the future value…

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It’s been reported that the Stretch IRA is dead for eternity (or at least until Congress changes the rules again). A Stretch IRA, of course, is the strategy of delaying required minimum distributions from an inherited IRA for decades if not generations. Before the SECURE Act of 2019, the Stretch IRA strategy was highly effective…

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