Retirement

A IRA is a retirement account to which up to $5,500 (6,500 if you are 50 or older) can be contributed. The contribution may be deductable or non-deductable depending whether you are covered by your employer's retirement plan and income limitations. There are various types of IRAs; there are traditional, Roth, Simple, and SEP IRAs.

On Form W-2, box 15 will have an X in the box "retirement plan".
You are an active participant in a retirement plan if contributions are made or allocated to your account for the plan year that ends within your tax year.

A Roth IRA is a special, nondeductible IRA. Earnings are tax-deferred and tax-free upon withdrawal if certain requirements are met. (If requirements are not met, taxes and penalties may apply).
Contributions are not tax-deductible. You may continue making Roth IRA contributions after age 70 1/2 if you have earned income.
Your modified adjusted gross income must be below certain limits depending on your tax filing status and you or your spouse must have earned income. You are not required to take mandatory distributions at any age during your lifetime. Non-spouse beneficiaries are subject to minimum distributions rules.

A retirement plan that covers self-employed persons (sole proprietors or partners)is referred to as a Keogh or H.R. 10 plan. With partnerships, the Keogh must be set up by the partnership, not the partner. Employees who are at least 21 and have at least one year of service must be allowed to participate. Employer contributions are tax deductible subject to certain income limitations. Employees may be permitted to make nondeductible voluntary contributions. There are two types of Keogh plans. Different rules apply to both types of plan. A Keogh plan can be set up as a defined benefit plan or a defined contribution plan which includes 3 types: a Money Purchase plan, Profit Sharing and a Combination of the two.

IRA Annual Report Form 5498 must be sent to you from the bank by January 31st. It must include the market value of the account as of December 31st. A statement showing contributions for the year must be sent by May 31st.

Generally, if you have a 401(k) retirement account and get divorced, your spouse will probably be entitled to a share of the money. The money that accumulates in a retirement account during marriage is considered a marital asset. Marital assets are divided between the divorcing spouses. The formula for dividing marital assets depends partly on the laws of the state in which you live and partly on your specific circumstances. In community property states, marital assets in general are split 50-50. Currently, the community property states are Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. In equitable distribution states, marital assets are divided equitably. The ultimate decision of what is fair is made by the court in your state. Generally, the court determines how much of your 401(k)retirement plan is a marital asset by dividing the number of years you have been married by the number of years you have been a plan member.

Generally, if you qualify for Medicare coverage based on your own employment record, the coverage can never be cancelled. If the Medicare insurance is based on your spouse's employment history, you might lose it when you get divorced. The key factor Medicare will consider is the length of the marriage. If you qualified for coverage based on your spouse's employment and remained married for at least 10 years, the Medicare coverage will stay with you even after you are divorced. If you were married for less than 10 years and did not work long enough to qualify for you own Medicare insurance, Medicare can drop you from its program.

No. Your annual contribution to a Roth IRA is not a deduction on your tax return. Distributions at age 70 and a half are not requires. Contributions after age 70 are allowed. Distributions are not taxable. IRA minimum distribution rules do not apply.

Visit http://www.medicare.gov/Nursing/Overview.asp to get current information from the US Government .