Question

I am the sole beneficiary of my spouse’s IRA.1

I have two questions:

If he dies before I die, how will his IRA be taxed?

How will his death impact our required minimum distributions?

Basic Answer

For all the benefits IRAs provide during your lifetime, they also can cause substantial misfortune at death, as we explained in the article Death Taxes the IRA.

But because you are going to be the widow, unlike the beneficiaries in the article above, you are entitled to recent tax breaks that provide some relief from the heavy taxes.

Potential Double Taxation

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