Overview
There are many reasons you may have multiple investment and banking accounts.
- Job changes resulted in multiple retirement plans located at different institutions
- You started investing in companies or mutual funds by directly buying a small number of shares over a long period of time
- A family member gifted shares of stock to you
- A bank offered great rates on savings or loans that you just could not pass up
- You don’t trust the financial services industry, and decided to keep multiple accounts to decrease the risk of an institution going out of business or someone stealing your money
These all seemed like good ideas at the time, but there are many reasons you should simplify.
Lost Accounts
As the years go by, you may move once, twice, or a dozen times, and forget some of the outstanding accounts you have created. Without any “action” in these accounts, institutions may not be able to find you, and then they will turn over your little pot of gold to the state.
Tax Preparation
In addition, with non-retirement accounts, you will have many outstanding tax forms which can make preparing tax returns more complicated and expensive. Did your grandmother gift you that one share of Disney and now you receive a 1099 for $1.37 for the year? Not only do you have that hassle with that 1099, that one share of stock will also go through probate when you die.
With many institutions providing tax forms online, you may forget to download the form only to be reminded a year later with a fun letter from the IRS letting you know about underpayment.
Retirement Plan Distributions
Most retirement plans have required distributions at age 70 ½. If you have multiple retirement accounts, it will be important to keep track of the required amount that needs to be distributed from all the accounts total. IRA accounts are calculated separately from 401k and 403b accounts. By consolidating accounts, it makes distributions much easier to track. And given the penalty for not taking a distribution is a hefty 50%, you don’t want to mess this up.
Ease of Future Financial Caretaking and Estate Administration
The more assets you have floating out there, the more work that will be required by your financial caretakers if you become incapacitated and by the executor of your estate if you die. This increases hassle, costs, and the risk of mistakes.
So how do you simplify?
Before simplifying, make certain you understand the tax and estate implications of your current situation. After that is clarified, begin to pare down the number of accounts to the following:
- One checking and one savings account at one institution.
- One IRA account and all old retirement plans such as 401k and 403b accounts should be rolled into this IRA.
- One Roth IRA account (if you can have a Roth) – and all Roth 401k and Roth 403b contributions should be rolled into this Roth.
- One brokerage account – all outstanding stock certificates, direct mutual fund holdings, and other investment accounts should be held in this account.
In addition, if you think there are accounts that you have forgotten about, check the unclaimed property site in the state you think it may be located. The USA.gov website has a great resource for this.
When you consolidate, check the titling and beneficiary designations to make certain they are congruent with your estate plan and your wishes.
By simplifying, you can ease your financial caretaking as you age and save you and your family money and angst in the process.
Content provided by: Whealthcare Planning, LLC
The information presented here is not specific to any individual’s personal circumstances, and does not constitute investment, tax, legal, or retirement advice or recommendations.
To the extent that this material concerns tax matters, it is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by law. Each taxpayer should seek independent advice from a tax professional based on his or her individual circumstances.
These materials are provided for general information and educational purposes based upon publicly available information from sources believed to be reliable — we cannot assure the accuracy or completeness of these materials. The information in these materials may change at any time and without notice.
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