Self-directed IRA risks go past bad deals. Business or debt-financed income inside the account can be taxed at 37% above $16,000 in 2026.

SEP IRA contribution limits look simple until you’re the employer too. The 25% rule becomes 20% once it’s applied to your own net earnings.

Spousal IRA contributions hit $7,500 for 2026 — but the income range that decides your
deduction depends on which spouse has a plan at work, not who earns.

Custodial Roth IRA contributions stop at whatever your child earned — and the way they earned it decides what that money costs in tax.

Trump account vs 529 is the wrong question. The $1,000 seed is free money; the 529 is the only account where school withdrawals come out tax-free.

Trump account basis comes from one source only: contributions by individuals. The $1,000 federal seed and employer dollars are taxed in full.

Trump accounts for kids are open, and the $1,000 is real — but the free money creates no basis, so every dollar of it is taxed as ordinary income later.

Qualified charitable distributions let IRA owners 70½ and older exclude up to $111,000 in 2026 — and the AGI drop matters more than the tax saved.

Missed inherited IRA RMD? Most coverage collapses two very different failures into one — and only one of them carries an automatic IRS waiver.

Inherited IRA spouse rules work differently: a surviving spouse skips the 10-year rule most heirs face — and can avoid the early-withdrawal penalty.