Exam 13: Retirement Savings and Deferred Compensation

Both employers and employees may contribute to defined contribution plans. However, the amount that employees may contribute to the plan in a given year is limited by the tax law while the amount that employers may contribute is not.

From a tax perspective, participating in a nonqualified deferred compensation plan is an effective tax planning strategy when the employee anticipates that her marginal tax rate will be higher when she receives the deferred compensation than when she defers the compensation.

Sean (age 74 at end of 2018) retired five years ago. The balance in his 401(k) account on December 31, 2017 was $1,700,000 and the balance in his account on December 31, 2018 was $1,800,000. Using the IRS tables below, what is Sean's required minimum distribution for 2018?

Cassandra, age 33, has made deductible contributions to her traditional IRA over the years. When the balance in her IRA was $40,000, Cassandra received a distribution of $34,000 from her IRA in order to purchase a new car. How much of the $34,000 distribution will she have remaining after paying income taxes and early distribution penalties on the distribution? Her marginal tax rate is 25 percent.

Jacob participates in his employer's defined benefit plan. He has worked for his employer for four full years. If his employer uses a five-year cliff vesting schedule, Jacob will need to work another year in order to vest in any of his defined benefit plan retirement benefits.

Which of the following is not a self-employed retirement account?

Which of the following describes a defined contribution plan?

Which of the following statements is True regarding taxpayers receiving distributions from traditional defined contribution plans?

When a taxpayer receives a nonqualified distribution from a Roth 401(k) account the taxpayer contributions are deemed to be distributed first. If the amount of the distribution exceeds the taxpayer contributions, the remainder is from the account earnings.

Taxpayers who participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan are not allowed to contribute to individual retirement accounts (IRAs).

Tatia, age 38, has made deductible contributions to her traditional IRA over the past few years. When her account balance was $32,000, she transferred the entire $32,000 out of her traditional IRA and immediately into a Roth IRA. Her current marginal tax rate is 25 percent. What amount of tax and penalty is she required to pay on this rollover?

Participating in an employer-sponsored nonqualified deferred compensation plan is potentially risky because employers are not required to fund nonqualified plans. If the employer is not able to pay the employee when the payment is due, the employee usually becomes an unsecured creditor of the employer.

Defined benefit plans specify the amount of benefit an employee will receive on retirement while defined contribution plans specify the amounts that employers and employees will (or can) contribute to an employee's plan.

Joan recently started her career with PDEK Accounting, LLP which provides a defined benefit plan for all employees. Employees receive 1.5 percent of the average of their three highest annual salaries for each full year of service. Plan benefits vest under a 5-year cliff schedule. Joan worked 5½ years at PDEK before leaving for another opportunity. She received an annual salary of $49,000, $52,000, $58,000, $65,000, and $75,000 for years one through five respectively. Joan earned $40,000 of her $80,000 annual salary in year six. What is the vested benefit Joan is entitled to receive from PDEK for her retirement? Use Exhibit 13-1

When employees contribute to a Roth 401(k) account, they ________ allowed to deduct the contributions and they ________ taxed on distributions from the plan.

The standard retirement benefit an employee will receive under a defined benefit plan depends on the number of years of service the employee provides, but does not consider the amount of the employee's compensation near retirement.

Gordon is a 52-year-old self-employed contractor (no employees). During 2018, his Schedule C net income was $88,000. What is the maximum amount that Gordon can contribute to (1) a SEP IRA and (2) an individual 401(k)? (Round your answers to the nearest whole number).

Which of the following statements regarding IRAs is False?

Keisha (50 years of age) is considering whether to participate in her company's Roth 401(k) or traditional 401(k). This year, she plans to invest either $4,000 in a Roth 401(k) or $5,000 in a traditional 401(k). Keisha plans on leaving the contribution in the retirement account for 20 years when she will receive a distribution of the entire balance in the account. Her employer does not have a matching program for employee contributions to retirement accounts. Assume Keisha can earn a 6 percent before tax return in either account and that she anticipates that in 20 years her tax rate will be 30%. 1) What would be Keisha's after-tax accumulation in 20 years if she contributes $4,000 to a Roth 401(k) account? 2) What would be her after-tax accumulation in 20 years if she contributes $5,000 to a traditional 401(k) account? (Round future value factors to 5 decimal places and the future value and final answers to the nearest whole number)

Kathy is 60 years of age and self-employed. During 2018 she reported $500,000 of revenues and $100,000 of expenses relating to her self-employment activities. If Kathy has no other retirement accounts in her name, what is the maximum amount she can contribute to a simplified employee pension (SEP) IRA for 2018? (Round your final answer to the nearest whole number)