Traditional vs. Roth IRA: Should I Convert?

To be honest, we don't know. We're not financial planners. What we do know is that this is a very good year to take a look at conversion.

Beginning in 2010, income restrictions for those considering converting to a Roth IRA have been removed. This means that many people that were not eligible to convert, now have this option. If you were not eligible in the past due to your income, your advisor may not have proposed conversion for this reason.

Also for 2010, the deferred tax of the Traditional IRA that must be paid upon conversion to a Roth IRA can be spread over a two year period. Once again, this reduces the expense of conversion based on the time value of money and must also be factored in to your decision.

If you have an IRA and a financial advisor, we recommend you speak with them about the relative benefit of converting some or all of your IRA to a Roth IRA. If you have an IRA and don't have a financial advisor, contact us and we can help you find the right advisor to assist with this decision. Most will perform this analysis for free.

What Happens to Out of State Property When Someone Dies?

For most property, the state in which you reside has jurisdiction over that property, and it will be administered according to the laws of that state. However, real property falls under the laws of the state in which it is located. This means that real property must be administered in the state in which it resides in an ancillary administration. So, if an individual owns any real property outside of their state of residence, there will need to be a probate administration in the state of residence and all states where real property was owned. Probate administration can be expensive and time consuming. Multiple probates are worse. This situation can be avoided by changing how the property is owned.

If you own out of state real property, you should contact your attorney to discuss ways of avoiding multiple administrations.