Alternatives to replace Stretch IRA

March 28, 2022

The idea of leaving a large inheritance to loved ones is a dream for some parents. However, without careful planning, heirs may end up with a large tax bill. When Congress passed the SECURE Act in December 2019, one of the changes was the end of the stretch IRA, as reported by Kiplinger in a recent article titled “Getting Around the Stretch IRA Block.” There are alternatives to replace a stretch IRA.

Before the SECURE Act, people who inherited traditional IRAs needed to only take a minimum distribution annually, based on their own life expectancy. The money could grow tax-deferred for the rest of their lives. The tax impact was mild, because withdrawals could be spread out over many years, giving the new owner control over their taxable income. The rules were the same for an inherited Roth IRA. Distributions were based on the heirs’ life expectancy. Roth IRA heirs had the added benefit of not having to pay taxes on withdrawals, since Roth IRAs are funded with post-tax dollars.

After the SECURE Act, inherited traditional and Roth IRAs need to be emptied within ten years. Heirs can wait until the 10th year and empty the account all at once—and end up with a whopping tax bill—or take it out incrementally. However, it has to be emptied within ten years.

There are some exceptions: spouses, disabled or chronically ill individuals, or those who are not more than ten years younger than the original owner can stretch out the distribution of the IRA funds. If an underage minor inherits a traditional IRA, they can stretch it until they reach legal age. At that point, they have to withdraw all the funds in ten years—from age 18 to 28. This may not be the best time for a young person to have access to a large inheritance.

These changes have left many IRA owners looking for alternative ways to leave inheritances and find a work-around for their IRAs to protect their heirs from losing their inheritance to taxes or getting their inheritance at a young age.

For many, the solution is converting their traditional IRA to a Roth, where the IRA owner pays the taxes for their heirs. The strategy is generous and may be more tax efficient if the conversion is done during a time in retirement when the IRA owner’s income is lower, and they may be in a lower tax bracket. The average person receiving an IRA inheritance is around 50, typically peak earning years and the worst time to inherit a taxable asset.

Another alternative to replace the stretch IRA is life insurance. Distributions from the IRA can be used to pay premiums on a life insurance policy, with beneficiaries receiving death benefits. The proceeds from the policy are tax-free, although the proceeds are considered part of the policy owner’s estate. With the current federal exemption at $12.06 million for individuals, the state estate tax is the only thing most people will need to worry about.

A Charitable Remainder Trust can also be used to mimic a stretch IRA. A CRT is an irrevocable split-interest trust, providing income to the grantor and designated beneficiaries for up to twenty years or the lifetime of the beneficiaries. Any remaining assets are donated to charity, which must receive at least 10% of the trust’s initial value. If the CRT is named as the IRA beneficiary, the IRA funds are distributed to the CRT upon the owner’s death and the estate gets a charitable estate tax deduction (and not an income tax deduction) for the portion expected to go to the charity. Assets grow within the charitable trust, which pays out a set percentage to beneficiaries each year. The distributions are taxable income for the beneficiaries. There are two types of CRTs: Charitable Remainder Unitrust and a Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust. An estate planning attorney will know which one is best suited for your family. If you would like to read more about managing retirement accounts, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Kiplinger (March 3, 2022) “Getting Around the Stretch IRA Block”

Ways to manage Taxes on Inherited IRAs?

March 22, 2022

If you’ve inherited an IRA, you won’t have to pay a penalty on early withdrawals if you take money out before age 59½. However, you may have to make those withdrawals earlier than you’d wanted. Doing so may trigger additional income taxes, and even push you into a higher tax bracket. The IRA has always been a complicated retirement account. While changes from the SECURE Act have simplified some things, it’s made others more stringent. There are ways to manage taxes on inherited IRAs.

A recent article titled “How Do I Avoid Paying Taxes on an Inherited IRA?” from Aol.com explains how the traditional IRA allows tax-deductible contributions to be made to the account during your working life. If the IRA includes investments, they grow tax—free. Taxes aren’t due on contributions or earnings, until you make withdrawals during retirement.

A Roth IRA is different. You fund the Roth IRA with after-tax dollars, earnings grow tax free and there are no taxes on withdrawals.

With a traditional inherited IRA, distributions are taxable at the beneficiary’s ordinary income tax rate. If the withdrawals are large, the taxes will be large also—and could push you into a higher income tax bracket.

If your spouse passes and you inherit the IRA, you may take ownership of it. It is treated as if it were your own. Howwever, if you inherited a traditional IRA from a parent, you have just ten years to empty the entire account and taxes must be paid on withdrawals.

There are exceptions. If the beneficiary is disabled, chronically ill or a minor child, or ten years younger than the original owner, you may treat the IRA as if it is your own and wait to take Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) at age 72.

Inheriting a Roth IRA is different. Funds are generally considered tax free, as long as they are considered “qualified distributions.” This means they have been in the account for at least five years, including the time the original owner was alive. If they don’t meet these requirements, withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income. Your estate planning attorney will know whether the Roth IRA meets these requirements.

If at all possible, always avoid immediately taking a single lump sum from an IRA. Wait until the RMDs are required. If you inherited an IRA from a non-spouse, use the ten years to stretch out the distributions.

If you need to empty the account in ten years, you don’t have to withdraw equal amounts. If your income varies, take a larger withdrawal when your income is lower and take a bigger withdrawal when your income is higher. This can result in a lower overall tax liability.

If you’ve inherited a Roth IRA and funds were deposited less than five years ago, wait to take those funds out for at least five years. When the five years have elapsed, withdrawals will be treated as tax-free distributions.

There are ways to manage taxes on inherited IRAs. One of the best ways for heirs to avoid paying taxes on an IRA is for the original owner, while still living, to convert the traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, paying taxes on contributions and earnings. This reduces the taxes paid if the owner is in a lower tax bracket than beneficiaries, and lets the beneficiaries withdraw funds as they want with no income tax burden. If you would like to learn more about tax planning involving retirement accounts, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Aol.com (Feb. 25, 2022) “How Do I Avoid Paying Taxes on an Inherited IRA?”

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Strategies to Reduce Taxes

March 17, 2022

With numerous bills still being considered by Congress, people are increasingly aware of the need to explore options for tax planning, charitable giving, estate planning and inheritances. Tax sensitive strategies for the near future are on everyone’s mind right now, according to the article “Inheritance, estate planning and charitable giving: 4 strategies to reduce taxes now” from Market Watch. These are the strategies to reduce taxes that you should be aware of.

Offsetting capital gains. Capital gains are the profits made from selling an asset which has appreciated in value since it was first acquired. These gains are taxed, although the tax rates on capital gains are lower than ordinary income taxes if the asset is owned for more than a year. Losses on assets reduce tax liability. This is why investors “harvest” their tax losses, to offset gains. The goal is to sell the depreciated asset and at the same time, to sell an appreciated asset.

Consider Roth IRA conversions. People used to assume they would be in a lower tax bracket upon retirement, providing an advantage for taking money from a traditional IRA or other retirement accounts. Income taxes are due on the withdrawals for traditional IRAs. However, if you retire and receive Social Security, pension income, dividends and interest payments, you may find yourself in the enviable position of having a similar income to when you were working. Good for the income, bad for the tax bite.

Converting an IRA into a Roth IRA is increasingly popular for people in this situation. Taxes must be paid, but they are paid when the funds are moved into a Roth IRA. Once in the Roth IRA account, the converted funds grow tax free and there are no further taxes on withdrawals after the IRA has been open for five years. You must be at least 59½ to do the conversion, and you do not have to do it all at once. However, in many cases, this makes the most sense.

Charitable giving has always been a good tax strategy. In the past, people would simply write a check to the organization they wished to support. Today, there are many different ways to support nonprofits, allowing for better tax advantages.

One of the most popular ways to give today is a DAF—Donor Advised Fund. These are third-party funds created for supporting charity. They work in a few different ways. Let’s say you have sold a business or inherited money and have a significant tax bill coming. By contributing funds to a DAF, you will get a tax break when you put the funds into a DAF. The DAF can hold the funds—they do not have to be contributed to charity, but as long as they are in the DAF account, you receive the tax benefit.

Another way to give to charity is through your IRA’s Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) by giving the minimum amount you are required to take from your IRA every year to the charity. Otherwise, your RMD is taxable as income. If you make a charitable donation using the RMD, you get the tax deduction, and the nonprofit gets a donation.

Giving while living is growing in popularity, as parents and grandparents can have pleasure of watching loved ones benefit from the impact of a gift. A person can give up to $16,000 to any other person every year, with no taxes due on the gift. The money is then out of the estate and the recipient receives the full amount of the gift.

All of these strategies to reduce taxes should be reviewed with your estate planning attorney with an eye to your overall estate plan, to ensure they work seamlessly to achieve your overall goals. If you would like to learn more about tax planning, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Market Watch (Feb. 18, 2022) “Inheritance, estate planning and charitable giving: 4 strategies to reduce taxes now”

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Planning items to consider in your 50s

January 19, 2022

Many financial planning articles are geared towards people starting out or those nearing retirement. But what about people in their 50s? The Street’s recent article entitled “5 Things to Do in Your 50s,” says that they need help, too. Here are five simple planning items to consider in your 50s.

Maximize your retirement plan. When you turn 50, the IRS lets you contribute more to your retirement accounts each year. Known as “catch-up contributions,” if you have the cash flow, take advantage of this.

Fund a Health Savings Account (HSA). If you’re eligible for an HSA, contribute to it! Even a small amount each year will make a difference.

Long-term care. Think about buying insurance to mitigate the risk of paying out of pocket for medical expenses. Age 55-60 is a good time for purchasing a policy, as they tend to be less expensive than purchasing one in your late 60s.

Review your estate planning documents. Your circumstances, financial condition and federal and state laws can change. Make certain that you review your estate plan every few years and keep it up-to-date.

Toss junk and focus on experiences. While not really financial planning-related, it’s important to speak with your children and friends and see if they want to rummage through boxes of old pictures, silverware and sweaters years from now. Probably not. They most likely would want you to keep what’s most valuable and toss the rest. Rather than spending money on keepsake items, perhaps spend it on trips with the family or meaningful experiences that your loved ones will cherish for a lifetime. You might also donate to a charity that enriches you and makes you feel fulfilled.

An experienced estate planning attorney will walk you through the various planning items to consider, now that you’re in your 50s. If you would like to read more about estate planning for older adults, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: The Street (Nov. 24, 2021) “5 Things to Do in Your 50s”

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holidays are a good time to have a family meeting

Holidays are a good time for a Family Meeting

December 22, 2021

Kiplinger’s recent article entitled “Someone Needs to Know Where Your Money Is” recommends that families talk about money with an elderly parent. The holidays are a good time for a family meeting. If it’s really too late, you should know where to find the following:

Get the most recent tax return. This will have the name and contact information of the accountant who prepared the tax return. The tax return will also document income. If you find the income, you can find the assets. The reason is that earned interest, dividends, pension income and withdrawals from retirement accounts will be reported on the tax return. You should also call his or her employer’s human resources department to see if there’s a company life insurance benefit or 401(k) balance.

When a senior is admitted to the hospital, their health can sometimes deteriorate quickly. It’s one example of how everyone needs to have their estate plan updated and make sure their financial affairs are in order at all times. Someone must know all of the financial details and how to access the money, life insurance and other important documents. Here are some actions to consider taking now to ensure this situation doesn’t occur with you or a family member.

Collect key financial documents. During the family meeting, ask your parents to collect copies of the following documents:

Their wills;
Any trusts;
Their financial power of attorney;
All bank and brokerage account information;
Social Security statements;
Their website log-ins for any financial assets and insurance policies;
A list of beneficiaries for IRAs, annuities and life insurance policies;
A list of any other assets and debts; and
Their most recent tax returns.

As you begin gathering these documents, the most crucial one to help uncover current assets is the tax return. It can help describe the parent’s assets and the income they have from pensions, annuities, real estate investments, business interests and Social Security. A Schedule B is filed to report the interest and dividends received each tax year. If you’re unable to locate any paper statements or log-in information to financial websites to track down an asset, ask the tax preparer for a copy of the 1099 form for each asset, so you will know which company to contact.

Make certain key documents are signed. These are a will, financial power of attorney, health care power of attorney and any trust documents. Put these in a safe place, along with a copy of the Social Security card, birth and marriage certificates. You should also provide copies and access to files to people who serve as professional advisers, such as attorneys, accountants, financial planners and insurance agents. In addition, share contents of this collection with your parent’s executor, financial and health care agent and/or another relative who lives nearby. With everyone gathered together, the holidays are a good time to have a family meeting and make sure everyone is on the same page. If you would like to learn more about planning for elderly loved ones, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Kiplinger (Nov. 1, 2021) “Someone Needs to Know Where Your Money Is”

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How to file Taxes after your Spouse Dies

November 22, 2021

Losing a spouse is crushing blow for anyone. A question that quickly comes up is how to file taxes after your spouse dies? About two-thirds of surviving spouses are women. While some are able to avoid major mistakes, taxes are a source of frustration, rife with potential problems. Deadlines are especially challenging, according to the article “The Death of a Spouse is Hard. Taxes Makes It Harder” from The Wall Street Journal.

The combination of emotional upheaval and needing to make complex decisions is overwhelming. Some widows need cash and are forced to sell the family home within two years to get an exemption of $500,000 on the sale proceeds. If you miss the deadline, the exemption shrinks to $250,000.

Others will convert traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs in the year their spouse dies, to capture lowered taxes on the conversion.

However, in all cases, spouses need to check withholding or estimated taxes, especially if the spouse who died was the one who made payments to the IRS. Underpayment penalties add up fast.

Here are some key things to watch for:

Filing an estate tax return. The current estate and gift-tax exemption is $11.7 million per person, so most people don’t need to pay federal estate tax. Executors don’t need to file a return if the decedent’s estate is below exemption levels. However, they should. Here’s why: filing an estate tax return will allow the surviving spouse to have the partner’s unused exemption and add it to their own. Claiming the unused exemption could have larger implications in the future when exemptions change.

Estate taxes are normally due nine months after the date of death. The IRS allows executors to claim the unused exemption for the spouse up to two years after the date of death, but the estate tax must be filed within the time period.

The year a spouse dies is the last year a couple may file jointly. Afterwards, the survivor files as a single person or if there are dependent children, as a surviving widow or widower. Be careful about the shift from joint to single filer. The surviving spouse’s tax rate may stay the same or rise when their income drops. There’s an expression for this, as it occurs so often: the widow’s penalty.

Surviving spouses may roll over inherited retirement accounts into their own names. However, if there is a significant age difference, this may not be the best strategy. New widows and widowers should consider their options carefully.

Filers must send the IRS 90% of their total tax for the year by December 31. This amount is often divided unequally between spouses. If the partner who died paid most of the withholding for estimated taxes, the survivor may need to make changes or risk underpayment penalties when taxes are paid in April. This is especially likely to occur if the spouse died early in the year. Sit down with an experienced estate planning attorney who can help you file taxes after your spouse dies. If you would like to learn more about probate, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: The Wall Street Journal (Oct. 29, 2021) “The Death of a Spouse is Hard. Taxes Makes It Harder”

Include Special Needs Child in Retirement Planning

November 16, 2021

Neglecting to update an estate plan is always problematic. However, failing to update an estate plan when the family includes a special needs child can lead to disaster. An article from Barron’s titled “Retirement Planning? Don’t Forget to Review Plans for Special Needs Children” explains how this can be prevented before problems arise. So how do you include a special needs child in retirement planning?

Decisions made in the past may no longer be appropriate, or even permitted. A grandparent may have been named as a guardian ten years ago and may have moved to another part of the country or died. A retirement plan based on selling the family home and downsizing to a small apartment may no longer be feasible. Healthcare insurance choices may be limited after retirement. In other words, life changes and estate plans need to change also.

Children with special needs who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid may not have more than $2,000 of assets in their name. If they are listed as beneficiaries on retirement plans or life insurance proceeds, they will become ineligible for these benefits. Money should never be left directly to a child with special needs, but it can be left through a Special Needs Trust. Parents may not realize how critical this is, or they may overlook changing beneficiary designations. Either way, the results can be financially devastating.

Talk with grandparents and any relatives who might want to leave something to a special needs child. Chances are they have no idea how an inheritance can impact a special needs family member.

Laws concerning funding a Special Needs Trust have changed. The ten-year rule on required distributions no longer applies to beneficiaries of qualifying Special Needs Trusts, so the SNT may be a beneficiary of a qualified retirement plan. A Roth IRA may be the best way to leave assets to an SNT, as there are no taxes due on withdrawals.

Life insurance is often used to care for a special needs family member. A second-to-die life insurance policy can be used to insure both parents and pay to the SNT on the death of the second parent, when the money is needed most. If one parent doesn’t qualify because of health issues, their underwriting may be balanced by the good health of another parent, which may keep premiums reasonable. Make sure the laws of your state and financial institution permit the proceeds to be directed to an SNT.

An ABLE account is a tax-advantaged savings plan for individuals with disabilities. The account can be opened for an individual at any age, as long as the disability onset occurred before age 26. Talk with an estate planning attorney to ensure the individual will qualify for this type of account. The 2021 annual contribution limit is $15,000. However, there are many exceptions, so don’t do this without professional help. For instance, SSI may be suspended, if the account balance rises about $100,000. Be sure the amount in the ABLE account won’t put means-tested programs at risk.

It need not be overwhelming to Include a special needs child in your retirement planning. Consult closely with an Elder Law attorney as well as your financial advisor to ensure you have a solid plan. If you would like to learn more about special needs or retirement planning, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Barron’s (Oct. 23, 2021) “Retirement Planning? Don’t Forget to Review Plans for Special Needs Children”

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What to Do with an Inherited IRA

October 12, 2021

When a parent dies, knowing what to do with an inherited IRA can be the difference between an inheritance and a tax disaster for their adult child. Many people take the money from the IRA account and place it into their own IRA. However, that’s a mistake, says the article “How to manage an inherited IRA from a parent” from Sentinel Source.com.

Any inherited IRA, whether it’s from a parent, sibling, or friend, cannot be simply rolled into your own account or treated as if it’s your own IRA. Instead, the assets must be transferred in a timely manner to a new IRA that must be titled as an “Inherited IRA” that includes the name of the deceased owner and the phrase “For the benefit of…” and your name. Different financial institutions may have small variations in how they title the account. However, this seemingly small detail is critical.

If a traditional IRA has more than one beneficiary, it must be split into separate accounts for each beneficiary. Each heir will treat their own inherited portion in the same way, as if they were the sole beneficiary.

It’s the heir’s choice to either set up a new Inherited IRA Beneficiary account with a financial institution or advisor of their own, or to create a new account using the prior institution. Sometimes using the same firm that held the account is easier, as long as the correct title is used.

The new owner of a Beneficiary IRA needs to know the rules to avoid costly penalties. After the SECURE Act became law in December 2019, most beneficiaries are now required to deplete an inherited IRA within ten (10) years of the original account owner’s death. This applies to any inherited IRAs where the owner has died after December 31, 2019.

The prior rules allowed Inherited IRAs to be depleted over the lifetime of the beneficiary, which allowed the accounts to grow tax-deferred and in many cases, be passed to a third generation, often referred to as “Stretch IRAs.” This option is gone.

There are no limits as to how much or how often withdrawals can be taken from the account, as long as it’s depleted in ten years. However, the withdrawals are taxable as regular income, so if you wait until the ten year mark and take out the entire amount, you’ll end up with a hefty tax bill.

There are exceptions to the withdrawal rule. A surviving spouse, a minor child, a disabled or chronically ill beneficiary, or a beneficiary within ten years of age of the original IRA owner may have a little more time to withdraw funds (and pay taxes on the withdrawals).

If inheriting an IRA from a spouse, you may transfer the IRA balance into your own account and delay distributions until age 72.

Consider your IRAs carefully when working with an estate planning attorney on the distribution of your assets. Will your heirs know what to do with an inherited IRA? Will they be able to pay the taxes on their inherited IRAs, or should they be converted to Roth IRAs to relieve heirs of a future tax burden? These are questions that your estate planning attorney will be able to address.

If you would like to learn more about IRAs, and other retirement accounts, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Sentinel Source.com (Sep. 18, 2021) “How to manage an inherited IRA from a parent”

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Plan Carefully before withdrawing Retirement Funds

September 29, 2021

As much as 70% of your retirement funds could evaporate after income tax, estate and state taxes, says a recent article titled “9 smart ways to withdraw retirement funds,” from Bankrate.com. While this number may sound extreme, a closer look shows how easily it could happen, even to families who are well under today’s high federal estate tax exemptions. It is wise to plan carefully before withdrawing retirement funds. Here’s how to avoid this minefield.

Watch the rules on RMDs—Required Minimum Distributions. Once you turn 72, you’re required to start taking a minimum amount from tax-deferred retirement accounts, including traditional IRAs and 401(k)s. The penalty for failing to do so is severe: a 50% excise tax. If you get the math wrong and don’t take out enough money, the penalty is just as bad. Let’s say your RMD is $20,000 but somehow you only take $5,000. The IRS will levy a $7,500 tax bill: half the $15,000 you were supposed to pay. Ouch!

When you calculate your RMD, remember it changes from year to year. The RMD is based on your age, life-expectancy and account balance, which is the fair market value of the assets in your accounts on December 31 the year before you take a distribution.

Take withdrawals from accounts in the right order. Which retirement funds should you withdraw from first? A Roth IRA will be tax free but use taxable accounts first and leave the Roths for later. Here’s why.

If a 72-year-old person takes $18,000 from a traditional IRA in the 24% tax bracket, their tax bill will be $4,320. The same withdrawal from a Roth IRA won’t create any tax liability. However, if they leave the Roth alone and earn 7% annually on the $18,000 for another ten years, it could grow to $35,409, which will also be tax free when withdrawn. It’s worth the wait.

Do you know the way to take distributions? Most Americans have had several jobs and have retirement accounts in different institutions. It may be time to consolidate assets into one IRA. This can make it much easier to calculate future withdrawals, tax liabilities and asset allocation. Plan carefully before withdrawing, you may need help from your estate planning attorney. You can’t take withdrawals from an IRA to meet RMD requirements for 403(b)s, 401(k)s or other plans. 401(k) plans may not be pooled to calculate a single RMD. Handle any consolidations with great care to avoid incurring tax penalties.

RMDs are different in some situations. If one spouse is significantly younger than the other, RMDs might be lowered. RMDs are calculated using factors like life expectancy (as determined by IRS tables). If a spouse is the sole beneficiary of an IRA, and they are at least ten years younger than you, the RMD calculation is done using a joint-life expectancy table. The amount of the RMD will be reduced according to the table.

Charitable contributions count. People aged 70½ or older are permitted to make tax free donations, known as qualified charitable distributions, of up to $100,000 to a charity as part of their RMD. This distribution does not count as income, reducing income tax to the donor. If you file a joint return, a spouse may also make a contribution up to $100,000. You can’t itemize these as a charitable deduction, but it’s a good way to minimize taxes.

Withdrawals don’t have to be cash. RMDs can be stocks or bonds, which are assigned a fair-market value on the date they are moved from the IRA to a taxable account. This may be easier and less expensive than triggering fees by selling securities in an IRA and then buying them back in a brokerage account.

Can you delay RMDs if you’re still working? If you’re still working at age 72 and continuing to fund a 401(k) or 403(b), you can delay taking RMDs, as long as you don’t own more than 5% of a company and your retirement plan permits this. Check with the 401(k) custodian or human resources to be sure this is allowable to avoid expensive penalties.

Smart money management is just as important in taking money from your retirement accounts as it is in building those accounts. Plan carefully before withdrawing retirement funds. Make informed decisions to maximize your savings and minimize taxes.

If you would like to read more about retirement accounts and estate planning, please check out our previous posts.

Reference: Bankrate.com (Aug. 31, 2021) “9 smart ways to withdraw retirement funds”

How to Handle an Inherited IRA

September 20, 2021

You can’t leave the money in an original IRA inherited from the deceased. There are several ways you can take the funds after inheriting either a traditional or Roth IRA. However, your options will be restricted by several factors. Note that failure to handle an inherited IRA properly can lead to a significant penalty from the IRS.

Kiplinger’s recent article entitled “I Inherited an IRA. Now What?” says you should understand what type of beneficiary you are under the new SECURE Act, what options are available to you and how they fit into your tax and investment profile.

There are several different ways to handle an inherited IRA. The first step after being left an IRA is getting the details about the account. This includes whether it’s a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA. Unlike Roth IRAs, traditional IRAs require the owner to take minimum withdrawals or “Required Minimum Distributions” (RMDs), when they turn 72. As a result, if the original account owner was older than 72 when they died, be certain that the RMD has been taken for the year. If not, there’s a potentially significant IRS penalty. You should also identify when the account was opened. This may exempt you from taxes later on, if you inherited a Roth IRA. It is also recommended that you verify that you are the sole beneficiary.

Spousal Heirs Can Transfer the Funds to a New IRA. Spousal heirs can transfer the assets from the original owner’s account to their own existing or a new IRA. You can do this even if the deceased was over 72 and was taking RMDs from a traditional IRA. With your existing or new account, you can delay RMDs until you reach 72. You can also complete this type of transfer with a Roth. Since these accounts don’t require RMDs, you don’t need to worry about withdrawals. This is a good option for beneficiaries who are younger than their deceased spouses and don’t need the income at that point. Transferring the funds to your own traditional IRA lets you delay taking RMDs. However, if you’d like to withdraw the funds from the new IRA before you are 59½, you’ll be subject to the 10% early-withdrawal penalty.

Spousal Stretch IRA. Spousal heirs who inherit either a traditional or a Roth IRA can transfer the assets into an inherited IRA, which is different than a spousal transfer. The original account owner’s financial institution will require you to open the inherited IRA with them, but you can also move the funds to a new institution. First, open an inherited IRA at the original owner’s institution and then open an inherited IRA at the institution to which you want to move the account. Request a direct IRA-to-IRA transfer. When titling the account, follow the format: “[Decedent’s Full Name], for benefit of [Beneficiary’s Full Name]” or “[Beneficiary’s Full Name], as beneficiary of [Decedent’s Full Name].”

Once you have a handle on the inherited IRA, you can withdraw the funds in two ways: (i) the life expectancy method is where you take annual distributions based on your own life expectancy, not the original owner’s (also known as a “stretch IRA”); or (ii) the 10-year method, where you must withdraw all funds within 10 years.

Non-Spousal Heirs Have Limited Choices. The SECURE Act of 2019 got rid of the stretch IRA for non-spousal heirs who inherit the account on or after Jan. 1, 2020. The funds from the inherited IRA – either a Roth or a traditional IRA – must be distributed within 10 years of the original owner passing away, even if the deceased person died before or after the year in which they reach age 72. There are exceptions, such as when the heir is a minor, disabled, or more than a decade younger than the original account owner. In these cases, they can withdraw the funds using the stretch IRA method.

If you’re required to take out the funds within 10 years, you don’t need to withdraw a certain amount of money each year from an inherited IRA. You can leave the funds to grow in the account tax deferred the entire time and then withdraw the funds at the end. However, if you withdraw too much in one year, it could move you into a higher tax bracket.

Lump Sum. All beneficiaries can take the funds in one large distribution, either from a traditional or Roth IRA. However, this is generally discouraged for those with traditional IRAs because they’ll have to pay income taxes on the distribution all at once and may move to a higher tax bracket.

Plan for Taxes. If you inherit a Roth IRA, you shouldn’t have to pay taxes on distributions if the original account was opened at least five years ago, or a conversion from a traditional IRA to a Roth occurred at least five years ago. Determine when the original account was opened to see if some of the distribution will be taxable. Make sure you know how to handle an inherited IRA. Talk with an estate planning attorney today.

If you would like to read more about IRAs and other retirement accounts, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Kiplinger (Aug. 4, 2021) “I Inherited an IRA. Now What?”

Category: ROTH IRA

Alternatives to replace Stretch IRA

Ways to manage Taxes on Inherited IRAs?

Strategies to Reduce Taxes

Planning items to consider in your 50s

Holidays are a good time for a Family Meeting

How to file Taxes after your Spouse Dies

Include Special Needs Child in Retirement Planning

What to Do with an Inherited IRA

Plan Carefully before withdrawing Retirement Funds

How to Handle an Inherited IRA

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