How to get out from under high brokerage fees
Dear Liz: I have two accounts at a full-service brokerage. One is an inherited IRA and the other is a Roth IRA that I opened. Both have a mix of stocks and mutual funds that I chose. My accounts have done well, but I am not happy with the commissions that my brokerage charges when I trade, which I don't do often. What do I have to do to move these accounts somewhere else that doesn't charge such high commissions? I don't want to sell the stocks and funds in the accounts, but to transfer them intact. If I had to sell the funds, I'd end up paying some of the fees that I'm trying to avoid.
Answer: As long as you don't own any proprietary mutual funds in those accounts, you should be able to transfer the actual investments and your IRAs to another brokerage — just pick a discount brokerage this time. Those high commissions erode the amount you'll have at retirement and aren't necessary if you're managing your own investments.
The new brokerage will be eager to help — just call and explain you want to transfer the assets "in kind." You'll be provided with the information and forms you need to start the process, and the new brokerage will take it from there.
Be prepared for one bite in the form of "account liquidation" fees. Many (but not all) investment firms charge these when you close IRAs, and they can range from $20 to $95 per account.
Dealing with a big lottery win
Dear Liz: My brother-in-law won a good chunk of money playing the lottery. He is waiting for the check to come any day now. He is willing to give me $2 million. The question for you is how I can maximize that amount of money short term or long term?
Answer: If your brother-in-law has any sense at all, he'll realize he shouldn't have promised any gifts before he assembled a team of professional advisors. And they almost certainly will have a dim view of him giving you a seven-figure sum.
Handouts that large have gift tax consequences. Anything over the annual exemption amount, which this year is $14,000 per recipient, has to be reported on a gift tax return. Amounts over $14,000 count against his lifetime exemption limit, which is $5.45 million this year. Once that limit is exceeded, he'll owe substantial tax on any gifts.
Also, the $5.45-million limit is for gift and estate taxes combined. Any part of the exemption he uses during his lifetime for gifts won't be available to shield his estate from estate taxes when he dies. Although, given his apparent generosity, he may not have enough left at his death to trigger an estate tax.
It's not uncommon for those who receive large windfalls to wind up broke, especially if the amount is much larger than they're used to handling. More than a few professional athletes and lottery winners have wound up in bankruptcy court. They spend or give away money at a clip that simply isn't sustainable.
Which may be the road down which your brother-in-law has started. You can take advantage of your relative's ignorance by holding him to his pledge or you can do the right thing, which is to encourage him to hire fee-only advisors — including a CPA, an estate-planning attorney and a comprehensive financial planner who's willing to sign a fiduciary oath — to help him deal with this windfall.
Refinancing an education loan
Dear Liz: You were asked a question about whether it would be wise to refinance a parent PLUS loan through a private lender and you said yes because the interest rates are so much lower. Doesn't this ignore the benefit of the IRS tax credit? I figured out that my interest rate is effectively a couple of percentage points lower because I get a $2,500 tax credit every year.
Answer: As long as you're refinancing with another education loan, the interest is still tax deductible. The deduction is "above the line" — meaning you don't have to itemize to get it. The student loan interest deduction can reduce your taxable income by up to $2,500 if your modified adjusted gross income is less than $80,000 for singles and $160,000 for married couples filing jointly. The amount you can deduct is phased out at higher incomes and disappears after $90,000 for singles and $180,000 for marrieds.
If you're not clear whether you're refinancing into an education loan (rather than, say, a personal loan), you should ask your lender.
To clarify, it's not always a good idea to refinance, even if you get a better rate. That's because federal education loans have consumer protections that private lenders don't offer. For example, you can pause your payments for up to three years if you lose your job or have another financial setback. Private lenders may offer hardship deferments, but typically those max out at 12 months.
Liz Weston is a personal finance columnist for NerdWallet. Questions may be sent to her at 3940 Laurel Canyon, No. 238, Studio City, CA 91604, or by using the "Contact" form at asklizweston.com. Distributed by No More Red Inc.
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