The Seven Mistakes IRA Owners Make

If you own an IRA, a few simple mistakes can quietly create bigger problems later, including unnecessary taxes, penalties, and outdated beneficiary choices. In this episode, Ken Moraif and Jeremy Thornton walk through seven common IRA mistakes they see over and over and explain how to avoid them with better habits and better planning.

They cover the mistakes retirees and pre-retirees make most often, including missing contribution limit increases, forgetting spousal IRA contributions, taking early withdrawals without understanding your options, leaving beneficiary designations outdated, mishandling trusts as IRA beneficiaries, missing required minimum distributions (RMDs), and not planning for how an IRA may affect heirs.

If you are over 50, retired, or retiring soon, this is a practical checklist episode to help you stay organized and avoid costly errors.
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0:00 Intro: Why avoiding mistakes matters
0:55 The “tennis” mindset: win by making fewer errors
2:10 Mistake 1: Not tracking IRA contribution limit increases
4:05 Mistake 2: Forgetting spousal IRA contributions
6:00 Mistake 3: Early withdrawals and avoidable penalties
8:05 Mistake 4: Outdated IRA beneficiary designations
11:10 Mistake 5: Naming a trust incorrectly as IRA beneficiary
14:30 Mistake 6: Missing RMDs and penalty risk
18:00 Mistake 7: Not planning for heirs and inherited IRA strategy
22:10 Wrap-up: Simple habits to prevent costly IRA mistakes

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