Inherited IRA Strategies
Since the SECURE Act, anyone who inherits a retirement account from someone other than a spouse has ten years to empty it — and every dollar that comes out is taxed as ordinary income. Most people take the default path: withdraw as needed, pay the tax as it comes. For larger inherited balances, there's often a more tax-efficient structure available.
A $1M Inherited IRA
Two Ways the Next 10 Years Go
The Blind Spot
The standard answer is simple: take distributions as needed, pay the tax as it comes, invest what's left. It's not wrong. It's just not the only option — and for larger balances, a different structure can meaningfully change how much of it survives the next ten years.
Three Things We Hear Every Time
Most people don't — the 10-year rule is relatively new and rarely explained clearly. Understanding the deadline is the first step to planning around it instead of being surprised by it.
That's the entire premise of the structured approach — not avoiding the tax the IRS is owed, but sequencing and redirecting it more efficiently than a series of ad hoc withdrawals.
That's a separate, and equally important, question. A structured approach addresses both — what happens as the money comes out, and where it goes once it does.
Where We Fit
This isn't right for every inherited balance. Here's the honest read on fit before you book anything.
Good Signs This Applies to You
Probably Not (Yet) If
The Framework
Every plan we build runs through the same six-part diagnostic. For an inherited IRA decision, two of those six components carry the most weight.
Get Your ScoreNext Step
A complimentary Income Architecture Review looks at your inherited balance, your relationship to the original owner, and your timeline — and tells you plainly whether a structured approach applies, or whether the default path is actually fine.
Schedule My Review — No CostNo cost. No obligation. Just a straight answer.