If you are married, there are tax benefits for naming your spouse as your IRA beneficiary.
For married people, typically their beneficiaries on things such as IRAs, 401Ks, and other qualified funds is their spouse. There are definite tax benefits from naming your spouse as your IRA beneficiary rather than someone else.
The rollover and tax benefits are not available to any other beneficiary other than the spouse.
Some people consider naming their children or grandchildren, or other loved ones as their beneficiaries. While, this may look like a seemingly good idea for some, we like to teach our clients about the benefits of naming their spouse over anyone else.
We highly recommend naming your spouse as your primary IRA beneficiary. The spouse is the only beneficiary that can roll that IRA for their now deceased spouse into their own IRA.
One of the main benefits is that the surviving spouse can now delay taking their distributions until reaching 70 and 1/2 years old. They can also still use the joint life expectancy table because it is now their IRA. This major benefit is one of the reasons that our office recommends naming the spouse as the beneficiary of an IRA.
Orange County Estate Planning Attorney James F. Roberts answers FAQ and gives information on what is currently happening in estate planning.
We know with estate planning there are a lot of things to consider. At the Law Office of James F. Roberts & Associates, we value our clients and dedicate time to find the best solutions for their estate planning needs, and to answer all of their questions. If you have questions about your IRA or anything else regarding your estate, we would love to hear from you.
For more information please contact our office or call us at 714-282-7488 or come to one of our free monthly seminars!