Have you noticed any changes with your brokerage account’s “sweep” account option? Sweep accounts are set up at the time you open your account; usually there is an option to sweep money you deposit into your brokerage account into a money market mutual fund to earn interest until you decide …

Have you ever received a notice from the IRS telling you that you owe money because of a “miscalculation” on your tax return? Millions of taxpayers receive such CP11 notices every year, according to the national taxpayer advocate’s Annual Report to Congress for 2018 (February 2019).

This year, it will be important to start the process of interacting with your tax professional early — perhaps even now. Why? Last year’s tax-act changes caused some surprises, such as underwithholding tax payments.

Where do you turn if you are looking for an accountant? Some suggest asking friends, colleagues and advisers for potential candidates. But before you do that, take time to assess your needs.

If you have an individual retirement account, do you recall filling out a beneficiary designation form? That’s the document that allows you to direct the IRA custodian to transfer your IRA to people you name in the form. The custodian is the institution that holds your IRA assets for you.

How do you do your taxes? Do you or your accountant use tax preparation software? Most people do. Only 10% of taxpayers don’t, according to the national taxpayer advocate’s recent report to Congress. The advocate heads the Taxpayer Advocate Service.

Do you want to start a conversation with a financial professional about relationships and services but don’t know how?

Have you ever gotten a letter from the IRS? Did you wish you had a road map telling you where to go and who to call?

On a recent trip, I spent some time at the airport bookstore while waiting for my flight. Browsing through magazines at the newsstand, I could not help noticing how frequently the topic of retirement investing came up. It does not seem that long ago when investing was primarily an issue for …

Last month, we talked about new regulations that will impact your relationship with your financial adviser, whether he or she works for a broker-dealer, a registered investment advisory firm or a dually registered firm like UBS or Merrill Lynch.

If you have a 401(k) at work, you are one of more than 100 million Americans covered by a defined contribution (DC) plan. Those assets, along with IRAs, make up 33 percent of all household financial assets in the U.S., according to the Investment Company Institute.

A letter from a reader (A.S.) asked about brokers and advisers:

On June 5, Jay Clayton, the chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, announced regulatory changes that “Enhance and Clarify the Obligations Financial Professionals Owe to our Main Street Investors.”

Some important changes are coming that will help define your relationship with your financial adviser — including whether he or she can still be called an “adviser.”

Last week’s column on the SECURE Act (H.R. 1994, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act) generated letters from readers, especially about the RMDs, or required minimum distributions, that kick in at age 70 1/2. (If you missed the column, email me at readers@juliejason.…

On May 23, the House of Representatives passed a bill that, if adopted by the Senate and signed into law by the president, will mean major changes for retirement plan participants.

If you read this column with any regularity, you have an interest in sound investing, rather than in getting tips on a stock to buy or how to get rich quickly (correct me if I’m wrong in my assumption).

If your broker (also called a “financial adviser”) works at a large brokerage firm and decides to change firms, you can expect that he or she will ask you to transfer your accounts to the new firm.

I’m writing this column during a bumpy car ride (a rented Dodge Charger) in Florida, traveling from Orlando to Sarasota. (Yes, I’m dedicated.) My colleague, Theresa Robbins, is driving. She tells me the rough ride is due to the road, not the muscle car, and certainly not the driver.

It will soon be April 15, the deadline for filing your tax return — and the last day you can make a contribution to your individual retirement account for the prior tax year (2018), whether or not you’ve filed your 2018 tax return.

A few weeks ago, I discussed a problem that many taxpayers were or are facing — an unexpected tax bill and penalty due to insufficient tax withholding. I wrote about special relief that the IRS offered for 2018 returns.

This past week’s column on required minimum distributions (RMDs) from traditional IRAs for those 70 1/2 and older generated a number of letters.

Did you turn 70 between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2018? If you did, you also turned 70 1/2 in 2018. Congratulations. Or, better yet, congratulations to the IRS and the U.S. Treasury.

The IRS wants you to know: “Although most 2018 tax filers are still expected to get refunds, some taxpayers will unexpectedly owe additional tax when they file their returns.” (See the news release on the subject at https://bit.ly/2O5nWAK)