Aflac Workers are Forced to Endure More Changes to Their Inherited IRAs

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The new rules for inherited IRAs mean Aflac employees need to understand how to plan for the ten-year distribution window, says [Advisor Name], a representative of the Retirement Group, a division of Wealth Enhancement Group.

With the IRS clarifying inherited IRAs, Aflac employees and retirees should navigate these changes to protect their legacy, says [Advisor Name], a representative of the Retirement Group, a division of Wealth Enhancement Group.

In this article, we will discuss:

• 1. The effects of the Secure Act on inherited IRAs and changes for non-spouse beneficiaries.

• 2. Just released IRS guidance on Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) for 2023.

• 3. Impacts of these rules on different beneficiaries and strategies for managing inherited IRAs.

The rules for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) for inherited Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) have often created confusion and ambiguity in retirement planning. The Secure Act changed how non-spouse beneficiaries can manage inherited IRAs in 2019 and effectively eliminated that option for most beneficiaries. Yet the Internal Revenue Service recently clarified the issue for anyone who inherited an IRA after 2019.

What the Secure Act Means to You.

A 2019 Secure Act changed how beneficiaries could manage inherited IRAs. Before the Secure Act, beneficiaries could potentially enjoy decades of tax-free or tax-deferred growth on their RMDs by extending them during their lifetimes. But the new rules require that most non-spouse beneficiaries exhaust their inherited IRAs within ten years of the death of the account owner.

For 2023 clarification on Inherited IRAs - 2023 Clarification.

The Internal Revenue Service issued new July 14 guidance for those who inherited an IRA after 2019. The latest regulations say beneficiaries in this category are exempt from this year's Required Minimum Distribution. No matter whether an RMD is required in 2023, Aflac employees should know that inherited accounts must be exhausted within ten years.

Implications for Different Beneficiaries

You are exempt if you inherited an IRA before 2020. You're grandfathered into the regulations before the Secure Act passed. Thus you must keep your old RMD schedule and if an RMD is due this year you must take it.

Spouses who inherit IRAs from spouses have more flexibility than other beneficiaries. They can move over their spouse's IRA into their own retirement account or keep it as an inherited account. Neither spouse can stop extending distributions on account of life expectancy within the ten-year window.

Some beneficiaries are exempt from taking RMDs based on life expectancy. These include beneficiaries no younger than the original IRA owner, chronically ill or disabled beneficiaries, and the original owner's minor offspring (not grandchildren).

You do not have to take an RMD this year if you inherited an IRA after 2019 from an account holder who has already begun taking RMDs, per new IRS guidance. But watch out for any applicable final regulations. Remember the inherited account must be exhausted within ten years, so larger withdrawals during that time frame are necessary.

The new alleviation does not apply to those who inherited an IRA from someone who had not yet begun taking RMDs. The more stringent RMD rules never applied to you, but you must empty the inherited IRA within ten years of the original owner's death.

As inherited IRA rules evolve for Aflac employees, beneficiaries, and individuals should know how those changes affect retirement plans. Whoever inherited an IRA after 2019 gets a temporary reprieve from RMDs this year, per IRS guidance. Still, the ten-year distribution window applies and withdrawals must be planned carefully.

Working with financial advisors who can customize assistance with inherited IRAs is important for anyone considering retirement or enjoying retirement now. While the planning for retirement is changing rapidly, proactive decision-making will provide a financially secure and comfortable retirement for all.

Recent studies show many retirees are using Inherited IRAs to leave a financial legacy for their loved ones. A 2022 Allianz Life survey found that nearly 68% of retired Aflac employees wanted to leave their assets to their heirs. The new rules for Inherited IRAs mean anyone aiming for optimal estate planning must know more about the options available to beneficiaries. Aflac employees considering retirement and current retirees can protect their assets for years to come by being informed and making the best decisions.

With the new rules, inherited IRAs are like a well-tended retirement garden. Now beneficiaries must navigate IRA distribution rules like gardeners plan and tend to a variety of plants. The Secure Act is a gardener who cuts back once-rich branches for most non-spouse beneficiaries and creates new exemptions that are as good as soil for some beneficiaries. Like those gardens that require regular care, knowing the latest IRS guidance is important for a tax-efficient inheritance harvest. With Aflac employees nearing retirement, retirees must tend to their financial legacy like gardeners, paying attention to every detail from plant development to financial foliage pruning while still having a long-term vision of a comfortable retirement.

Added Fact:

Recent updates from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in January 2023 suggest possible changes to rules for beneficiaries of inherited IRAs. No immediate changes have taken place, but Aflac employees and retirees need to know about new inherited IRA trends. The IRS has teased possible changes to the rules governing inherited accounts - and those changes could affect how beneficiaries manage those accounts. And staying current with changing rules regarding inherited IRAs will be critical for adapting to those changes.

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Added Analogy:

It's like sailing a ship in rough water navigating inherited IRAs under changing rules. Just as experienced sailors adjust course amid shifting winds and uncertain currents, so must Aflac workers approaching retirement and retirees adjust their financial strategies as IRS regulations for inherited IRAs change. The Secure Act of 2019 provided a new navigation chart, reversing a familiar route and imposing time limits on beneficiaries. Now, new IRS hints suggest more changes - like unpredictable weather - are possible. For a smooth ride in this turbulent sea of inherited IRAs, having a compass aboard and consulting financial advisors is like having a navigator on board who can point you in the right direction for your financial future.

Sources:

1. Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  'Retirement Topics - Beneficiary.'  IRS , U.S. Department of the Treasury,  www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-beneficiary . Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.

2. Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  'Notice 2023-54: Relief for Beneficiaries Regarding RMDs.'  IRS , U.S. Department of the Treasury, 14 July 2023,  www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-23-54.pdf . Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.

3. Vanguard Group, Inc.  'RMD Rules for Inherited IRAs.'  Vanguard , 2024, investor.vanguard.com/investor-resources-education/retirement/rmd-rules-for-inherited-iras. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.

4. Carlton Fields Law Firm.  'IRS Clarifies Application of RMD Rules to Inherited Retirement Accounts.'  Carlton Fields , 2024,  www.carltonfields.com/insights/publications/2024/irs-clarifies-application-of-required-minimum-distribution-rules-to-inherited-retirement-accounts . Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.

5. Lankford, Kimberly.  'New Inherited IRA Tax Rules Every Beneficiary Should Know.'  Kiplinger , 2023,  www.kiplinger.com/taxes/inherited-ira-four-things-beneficiaries-should-know . Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.