Savvy savers open Individual Retirement Accounts for themselves to ensure that their golden years will be enjoyable and not fraught with financial worry. But what if you die before you reach retirement? What happens to your IRA? What to do if you inherit an IRA?
First things first: When you open your IRA account, you will fill out a form listing beneficiaries. It is important to keep this form up to date throughout your working life (if, for example, you are divorced and you don’t change the beneficiaries, your ex will inherit your IRA. That thought doesn’t lead to a restful sleep in the afterlife, does it?) A will does not supercede the IRA beneficiary form.
What else not to do: Don’t name your estate as your IRA beneficiary (also important to note: if you DON’T name a beneficiary, your estate becomes the default). Typically, nonspouse beneficiaries who inherit a traditional IRA can either liquidate and pay taxes on those assets within five years of the owner’s death, or take the so-called “stretch option” and stretch the required minimum distributions out over their own lifetime. This could amount to thousands of dollars of lost growth. On top of that, if the IRA becomes part of your estate and enters probate, it can be accessed by creditors.
Has anyone seen that form? Do you know where your IRA beneficiary form is? Don’t assume it’s easily accessible from your broker or bank, because with all the mergers and acquisitions over the last decade, paperwork may have become lost in the shuffle. So, find that piece of paper — and all your important financial documents — and secure them. Then, tell your attorney and your family members where you have stored them.
Inheriting an IRA as a Spouse
According to the IRS, if you inherit a traditional IRA from your spouse, you generally have the following three choices. You can: