Golden Acre Wealth Management

10/22/2026

If you inherited a traditional IRA from someone who was already taking required minimum distributions, you probably owe a withdrawal by December 31, 2026. The IRS waived the penalty for missing it from 2021 through 2024. That waiver was not extended, and the penalty is 25% of what you should have taken.

If you inherited in the last few years, you were probably told you had ten years to empty the account. That is still the outer limit. Final IRS regulations from July 2024 added a second requirement when the original owner had already started their own distributions. You also owe a withdrawal in each of years one through nine.

On a $400,000 inherited IRA, the annual amount is roughly $11,000 to $12,000, so one missed year costs about $3,000. Leaving the account untouched costs more. For a married heir with $180,000 of taxable income, at a hypothetical 6% return, taking the whole balance in year ten could mean about $60,000 more in federal tax than spreading it evenly.

Check the date of death and whether a distribution is due before year-end.

The IRS waived the penalty for missed inherited IRA distributions through 2024. That waiver is over, the penalty is 25%, and the deadline is December 31.

10/06/2026

If you were born in 1953, you owe your first required minimum distribution from your IRA this year. You can take it by December 31, or wait until April 1, 2027.

Waiting puts two RMDs on your 2027 return. Take a Scottsdale couple with $140,000 of pension and Social Security income and a $1.5 million IRA. Their 2026 RMD is $56,604 and their 2027 RMD is $58,824. Taken on time, each year stays in the 22% bracket. Deferred, 2027 income reaches $255,427 and part of it is taxed at 24%.

The bigger cost shows up two years later. Medicare sets 2029 premiums from 2027 income, and that couple would land $37,000 over today's first surcharge line. Counting federal tax and Medicare, waiting costs them about $3,400.

Waiting can make sense if 2026 is your high-income year. Run both years side by side before you decide.

Turn 73 in 2026 and your first RMD can wait until April 1, 2027. Waiting stacks two RMDs on one return and can raise your 2029 Medicare premium.

09/30/2026

If you are married, both over 65, and hold investments you have owned for years, there is a tax window that closes December 31.

In 2026 a couple can have up to $146,400 of gross income and pay 0% federal tax on long-term capital gains. The published table says $98,900, but that is taxable income. The deduction stack for a couple over 65 this year is $47,500, and it sits on top.

A Scottsdale couple, both 67, living on $40,000 of IRA withdrawals and interest, can realize $102,400 of gains this year with no federal tax. Arizona's 2.5% comes to about $2,560. They can buy the same shares back the same day, because the wash-sale rule only applies to losses, and their basis resets higher.

The room does not carry forward. Realize that gain in a later, higher-income year and 15% makes it $15,360.

Work out your headroom in November, when you can see the year's dividends and fund distributions.

A couple over 65 can have $146,400 of gross income in 2026 and pay nothing federally on their long-term gains. The room is annual and closes December 31.

09/15/2026

If you retired before 65 and you buy your own health insurance, one rule changed on January 1.

The premium subsidy now stops completely at 400% of the federal poverty level. For a couple in 2026 that is $84,600 of income. There is no phase-out. One dollar over and the whole year's subsidy is gone.

That makes a Roth conversion a different decision than it was last year. A couple with $80,000 of income has $4,600 of room. Convert $10,000 instead and they lose about $16,344 of subsidy on top of the tax, which turns a $10,000 conversion into a $17,794 decision.

Two things make it worse. The subsidy is paid in advance, so crossing the line in December claws back what you already received all year. And a Roth conversion cannot be undone; recharacterization was eliminated in 2018.

Work out your headroom before you convert anything, and do it in November when you can see the year.

https://www.goldenacrewealth.com/notebook/subsidy-cliff

09/10/2026

If you are 70½ or older and you give to charity, the money should come out of your IRA rather than your checking account.

Two deadlines are running. The legal one is December 31. The working one is the middle of November, because most custodians treat the gift as complete when the check clears your IRA, not when you asked for it. A check mailed December 20 and deposited by the charity on January 8 counts for 2027.

The order matters as much as the date. The first money out of your IRA in a year counts as your required minimum distribution. Send the gift first and it satisfies part of that RMD. Take the RMD in cash first and the gift no longer counts toward it.

For a retired couple giving $20,000, doing it the right way instead of the wrong way is worth about $5,000, and it also lowers the income Medicare will read in 2028 to set the premium.

Full breakdown, including the worked example and the three things that disqualify a gift like this:

https://www.goldenacrewealth.com/notebook/qcd-before-rmd

09/01/2026

If you are 65 or older and thinking about a Roth conversion this year, there is a bracket that does not appear on any tax chart.

Taxpayers 65 and older get a $6,000 deduction each in 2026. It shrinks by 6% of every dollar of income above $150,000, so for a couple where both spouses are 65 or older the clawback runs at 12% combined and the full $12,000 is gone by $250,000.

Inside that band, every dollar you convert adds a dollar of income and destroys twelve cents of deduction. Taxable income rises by $1.12 for every $1.00 converted. Multiply by the 22% statutory rate and the real cost is 24.6%.

A couple at $180,000 converting $40,000 sees taxable income rise $44,800, not $40,000. The federal tax on that is $9,856.

The money has to settle in the Roth by December 31, and custodians back up badly in the final weeks, so the decision window is October and November.

Full breakdown, including the Medicare lookback and what Arizona's flat 2.5% changes: https://www.goldenacrewealth.com/notebook/roth-conversion-sizing-2026

07/29/2026

Most people who inherit a Roth IRA cash it out. That's usually the most expensive move available.

The instinct makes sense. The statement says "retirement account," and retirement accounts have a reputation: a tax bill is attached, a clock is running, deal with it quickly.

But of every account you can inherit, this is the best one. Withdrawals come to you free of federal income tax. There's no 10% early-withdrawal penalty at any age. And unlike an inherited traditional IRA, nothing is required in years one through nine.

Swipe through for the five-year clock, the deadline with no grace period, and the four mistakes that can't be undone.

Full article at goldenacrewealth.com/notebook/inherited-roth-ira

Educational only. Not individualized investment, tax, or legal advice.

06/23/2026

Asian Markets Stumble📉

Markets had a down day Tuesday, but the headlines don't tell the whole story. Tech and chip stocks led the decline, while areas like health care, staples, and dividend payers held steadier. Days like this are a reminder of why we diversify. Watch our quick update for what happened and what it means.

This is for educational purposes only and is not investment advice or a recommendation. All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Golden Acre Wealth Management is a registered investment adviser.

06/01/2026

US/Iran Tension Continues 🏛️

The Headline: Headline Stability Masks Underlying Weakness Markets opened June on a choppy, mixed note as a record-setting May gives way to renewed geopolitical friction. While major indices appear stable at midday, narrow leadership is masking widespread weakness across the tape, with fewer than 39% of U.S. equities trading in positive territory.

Oil Surges as U.S.-Iran Talks Stall
Geopolitics returned to the forefront, driving WTI Crude up 5% to ~$92/barrel (Brent near $95). Sentiment reversed following reports that Iran plans to halt message exchanges with the U.S., casting significant doubt on a ceasefire renewal and injecting a fresh risk premium back into energy markets.

Nvidia Unveils New Chips at Computex
Mega-cap tech remains the primary counterweight to broader market selling:
* Nvidia (NVDA): Rose ~2% after CEO Jensen Huang unveiled a new PC processor at Computex in Taipei, framing it as a shift as significant as the smartphone era.
* Hardware Rebound: Dell (+1.7%) and HP (+4.0%) followed higher, while Intel fell more than 6%.



This video is for educational purposes only and not investment advice.

05/28/2026

Tech & Healthcare Lead Despite 3-Year Inflation High 🏛️📈

The Headline: Defensive & Growth Sectors Propel Markets
Equities moved higher today, led by strong performance in Large-Cap Tech and Healthcare. Investors largely shrugged off a hotter-than-expected inflation print, choosing instead to focus on robust corporate fundamentals and corporate earnings resilience.

The PCE Spike: Driven by Energy 📊⚠️
The Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index—the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge—reached its highest level in three years:
* Headline PCE: Rose to 3.8% year-over-year, up from 3.5% previously.
* The Culprit: The surge was heavily concentrated in the energy sector, reflecting the recent shipping disruptions in the Middle East.
* Core PCE (Excluding Food/Energy): Remained anchored at 3.3%, matching analyst consensus estimates.



This video is for educational purposes only and not investment advice.