Posts tagged Beneficiary
The 10-Year Rule is Here to Stay

The SECURE Act—officially known as the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019—made significant changes to IRA and retirement plan rules, including to the beneficiary payout options. One of the most noteworthy changes involves the 10-year rule, which requires a total distribution of inherited assets by December 31 of the year containing the 10th anniversary of the account owner’s death.

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Roth IRA Beneficiary Options and Reporting Requirements

Although IRAs are meant to provide individuals with a source of income during retirement, many clients may want to incorporate their IRAs into their overall estate planning. In such cases, while making clear that you are not providing tax or legal advice, you may find yourself  discussing IRA beneficiary options with clients. Beneficiary options—especially for Roth IRAs—can be confusing.

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RMD Regulations’ Year-of-Death Rules Yield Both Answers and Questions

IRS final required minimum distribution (RMD) regulations were published on July 19, 2024, more than four years after enactment of relevant statutory changes in the SECURE Act of 2019. Especially noteworthy are provisions affecting those who inherit an IRA whose owner had not yet satisfied the RMD for the year in which they died. Ironically, these provisions have the potential to both simplify and to complicate the process by which beneficiaries meet year-of-death RMD obligations.

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Understanding HSA Beneficiary Options

Financial organizations are responsible for paying out HSA assets to beneficiaries after an HSA owner’s death and properly reporting these distributions to the IRS, so your role as an HSA administrator is important. And because HSA beneficiary options differ from IRA and employer plan beneficiary options, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the options and distribution process.

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Top IRA Questions from Ascend

Every year industry professionals gather with Ascensus trainers at the Ascend conference. Not only do they get to continue their education and refine their expertise in retirement, health, and education savings plans, but they get to submit questions to our highly-qualified trainers. Here are the top questions asked and answered over the week.

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New RMD Rule Could Affect Spouse Beneficiaries, Hypothetically

The new RMD regulations are not without at least one limitation for spouse beneficiaries, in the form of the “hypothetical RMD.” This could affect a spouse beneficiary who inherits an IRA or qualified retirement plan account before the deceased’s RMDs are required to begin—generally age 73—and who elects the new 10-year beneficiary payout rule in order to delay the onset of required distributions.

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Understanding the 10-Year Rule

Beginning with account owner deaths in 2020 and later, the SECURE Act of 2019 made significant changes to the rules on how qualified plan beneficiaries distribute their inherited assets. One significant provision prevents most nonspouse beneficiaries from “stretching” out distributions and taxation over their life expectancy.

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Naming a Trust as IRA Beneficiary

Naming a trust your IRA beneficiary is much less common than naming one or more persons, but it is not altogether rare.  Unlike a will—which essentially only identifies who will receive a decedent’s assets—a trust can set conditions or limitations for receiving the assets and identifies one or more trustees to ensure that the decedent’s wishes expressed in the trust are carried out.

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