Inheriting an IRA | Financial Advisor Tim Hayes
Summary: Financial Advisor Tim Hayes shares his insights on the difficulties of being a financial advisor, particularly when clients pass away. However, he offers valuable advice on beneficiary designations and options for spouses inheriting IRAs. Book an appointment today to learn more.
The worst part of being a financial advisor is seeing a client pass away. Last year was especially tough for me, as two long-time clients of mine passed away.
It is difficult to talk with beneficiaries, some of whom I meet for the first time after they suffer such a terrible loss. I can do my small part by making sure that my client’s beneficiary designations are in order, and when the time comes, I can help the beneficiaries through their maze of options.
Spouse as Sole Beneficiary
For example, when someone inherits an IRA, the particular relationship between the individual who passed away and the beneficiary dictates the available choices. When the spouse is the sole beneficiary, that person can either remain a beneficiary or become the owner of the IRA.
To avoid paying the 10% penalty on withdrawals, spouses under the age of 59½ who need access to the IRA should consider remaining a beneficiary, as any withdrawals made by beneficiaries are exempt from the penalty. If it makes sense to become the owner in the future, they can always do so at a later date.
Spouses over 72 should also consider remaining beneficiaries. When they reach that age, the government requires the IRA’s owner to begin taking distributions from it. For example, if a spouse passes away at 65, and the surviving spouse is over 72, then, by remaining a beneficiary, the surviving spouse has a six-year window before they are required to take a distribution because they are using their spouse’s age.
Option to Become the IRA Owner
Spouses are the only beneficiaries who can become owners. They can move the inherited IRA into their own IRA, 401(k), or 403(b). Just remember: If a spouse becomes the owner, then that person’s age becomes the yardstick that determines whether a withdrawal is subject to the 10% penalty. The age also determines when distributions are required to take effect. This could benefit a younger spouse who wants to put off distributions for as long as possible.
One big caveat: The option for a spouse to become the owner is allowed only if the spouse was the sole beneficiary.
Disinherit IRA
The least likely choice for spouses is to disinherit the IRA, thus becoming neither owner nor beneficiary. This might happen in a wealthy family in which the spouse does not need additional taxable income but instead wishes to change places with the contingent beneficiary and provide withdrawals over a longer period to the children or grandchildren.
Non–Spouse Beneficiary
When anyone other than a spouse inherits an IRA, that person’s only choice is to be a beneficiary. In that case, recipients must make a trustee-to-trustee transfer of the inherited IRA, and make sure to title the new IRA in the deceased owner’s name for the benefit of themselves as a beneficiary. This is used to provide recipients the option of stretching the withdrawals out over their lifetimes, hopefully lessening the tax burden.
However, the Retirement Secure Act pushed back when stating that an IRA holder must begin taking distributions from age 70 1/2 to 72. It also decreased the time a non-spouse must distribute any inherited IRAs from over their life down to ten years.
Under the new law, a non-spouse beneficiary who is ten years younger than the previous IRA owner must withdraw the account by year ten. However, they don’t need to take annual distributions.
What About Current Beneficiaries?
Beneficiaries taking RMDs based on the previous rules can continue using the old law, but the non-spouse recipient of someone who passes away post-January of 2020 will be under the new regulations—making this a good time for 401k, 403b, or IRA retirement plan owners to review their current beneficiaries as well as any trusts with your attorney.
These are the opinions of Financial Advisor Tim Hayes and not necessarily those of Cambridge Investment Research. They are for informational purposes only and should not be construed or acted upon as individualized investment advice. Content provided via links to third party sites should not be considered an endorsement of content, which we cannot verify completeness or accuracy of.
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Financial Advisor Tim Hayes
What Is My Financial Advisor Experience
I’ve held an industry securities registration for 30+ years and am subject to SEC and FINRA oversight.
How Much Do I Charge?
Most clients pay fee-only or an hourly rate. The size and complexity of the client’s wealth management and financial and retirement planning determine that fee.
Some clients pay a commission, mainly those with smaller accounts, i.e., Roth IRAs, some public-school teachers with 403b retirement accounts, or parents or grandparents who set up a 529 college savings plan.
Do We Need to Meet in Person?
The first introductory and fact-finding appointment can be in-person or by phone. The next meeting where I provide my recommendations should be in-person. (For the time being, telephone, Zoom, and email are replacing some in-person meetings.)
Subsequent meetings during which we monitor your progress and investments can be done in-person or by phone, email, Zoom, or Skype – or, more likely, a combination of these meeting types.
Contact Tim
Tim has offices in Boston and South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. He’s licensed to handle securities in 8 states: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, and Florida.
