IRA stretch is great in theory, but your beneficiary can withdraw the principal at any time and there is no asset protection.
As an estate planning attorney, I can make the stretch real by using an asset-protected standalone IRA Beneficiary Trust, separate from your revocable trust. This does nothing for you, but may make a world of difference for your family.
IRAs are meant to be used for retirement saving. However, if you don’t need to tap into your IRA for income during your retirement, you can preserve the assets as part of your estate, above and beyond what you’ve already set aside for your spouse and children. This “stretch IRA” strategy can be beneficial for both spousal and nonspousal beneficiaries.
