East Hills, NY — 11/12/2025 — Eric Tom, Financial Services Executive of Blue Ocean Wealth Solutions, has completed advanced IRA and retirement-tax training with Ed Slott and Company, LLC by attending the firm’s Fall 2025 workshop of Ed Slott’s Elite IRA Advisor Group^SM, held November 6–7 in Austin, Texas.

This invitation-only training gathered top financial professionals from across the country for two days of in-depth education on new 2025 tax law updates, SECURE 2.0 implementation, and estate-planning strategies. Participants received a 300-page manual and live instruction from America’s IRA Experts on helping retirees keep more of their savings under the latest IRS rules and year-end planning strategies that affect retirees and beneficiaries heading into 2026.

“Every rule change creates both new risks and new opportunities,” said Ed Slott, CPA, founder of Ed Slott and Company “The advisors who master these updates help clients save not just on taxes, but on costly mistakes that could derail years of planning.”

Key Takeaways for Retirees and Families

• 2025 Tax Update & SECURE 2.0 Guidance: Final and proposed RMD regulations plus new 10-year beneficiary-distribution rules taking effect in 2026.
• OBBBA 2025 (“One Big Beautiful Bill Act”): Extended tax cuts and expanded Roth and estate-gift exemptions creating new multi-year planning opportunities.
• New “Trump Accounts”: Introduction of a tax-advantaged savings vehicle designed for families and small businesses.
• Surviving-Spouse Strategies: Preparing families for financial transition after a partner’s death, what experts call horizontal wealth transfer planning.
• Estate and Trust Pitfalls: Why many IRA trusts drafted before the SECURE Act no longer work as intended and how to update them.
• Roth Conversion Sequencing: Coordinating conversions with income thresholds, Medicare surtax exposure, and OBBBA’s new Roth rules.
• Inherited IRA Enforcement in 2026: Clarified IRS guidance on when the 10-year clock starts for non-spouse beneficiaries.
• Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): Updated rules allowing charitable giving to offset RMDs and reduce taxable income.
• Women and Wealth Transfer: The growing focus on strategies for women inheriting or managing family wealth.

Featured guest sessions included:

• Timothy P. Bogert, CLU®, ChFC®, AIF® – “The $600 Billion Question:” How caregiving impacts financial plans and how to protect benefits, income and family well-being.
• Christine Benz (Morningstar) – “The Art and Science of Safe Withdrawal Rates:” Evidence-based withdrawal guidance and strategies to give clients “permission to spend.”
• Attorney Shannon L. Evans, JD, LL.M. – “Advanced IRA Estate Planning for Blended Families:” What can go wrong and how to fix it.

“Some of the most costly and surprising retirement mistakes aren’t about investments; they’re about taxes and timing,” said Eric, a member of Ed Slott’s Elite IRA Advisor GroupSM since [2003. “This training sharpened our playbook for year-end moves and 2026 planning, especially Roth strategies, survivor planning, and estate coordination, so we can help families protect more of what they’ve earned.”

The Austin workshop also highlighted the firm’s new nationwide consumer-education initiative, “Ed Slott and Company’s Ultimate Retirement Tax-Savings Roadmap,” now live at irahelp.com/retirementroadmap. This program helps retirees understand how to generate tax-efficient income, time Roth conversions, and avoid beneficiary mistakes by working with a trained advisor.

Eric can be contacted for IRA and retirement-related questions. Visit erictomcfp.com or call 516-686-7027.

ABOUT ED SLOTT AND COMPANY, LLC:
Ed Slott and Company, LLC, America’s IRA Experts, is the nation’s leading authority on retirement tax and IRA education. Backed by a team of tax, legal, and retirement specialists, the firm trains financial professionals nationwide and provides retirement savers with clear, practical answers to their most important planning questions. Its flagship program, Ed Slott’s Elite IRA Advisor GroupSM, includes 500 of the nation’s top financial professionals. The company also publishes Keep More Quarterly, a consumer newsletter focused on retirement tax-saving strategies. Led by founder Ed Slott, CPA, with nationally recognized experts Sarah Brenner, JD; Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF®; and Ian Berger, JD, the team is frequently featured in major media including The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Forbes, and The New York Times. Slott is the author of “The Retirement Savings Time Bomb Ticks Louder” and co-host of “The Great Retirement Debate” podcast. Visit irahelp.com for more information.