For years, advisors helped clients stretch an inherited IRA across children and grandchildren for decades of tax deferral. The SECURE Act ended that for most heirs. Clients who don’t need their IRA for income now face a different problem, and life insurance is one of the cleanest solutions.
Key takeaways
- Since 2020, most non-spouse beneficiaries, including children and grandchildren, must empty an inherited IRA within 10 years.
- That compresses taxable distributions into the heirs’ working years, often at higher tax brackets.
- Using required minimum distributions (RMDs) to fund life insurance can turn a taxable IRA inheritance into an income-tax-free death benefit.
The stretch IRA is gone for most heirs: inherited IRAs generally must be emptied within 10 years. Life insurance can replace that lost deferral with an income-tax-free legacy.
What the SECURE Act changed
Before 2020, a beneficiary could stretch distributions from an inherited IRA over their own life expectancy, so naming young grandchildren could extend tax deferral for decades. The SECURE Act replaced this with a 10-year rule for most non-spouse beneficiaries. Only “eligible designated beneficiaries” keep a life-expectancy payout: surviving spouses, the account owner’s own minor children (until adulthood), disabled or chronically ill beneficiaries, and beneficiaries not more than 10 years younger than the owner. Grandchildren generally don’t qualify. Depending on the circumstances, annual distributions may also be required during the 10 years.
Why this is a problem for wealthy clients
Clients who don’t need their IRA for retirement income still must take RMDs (currently starting at age 73). Their heirs then inherit the balance and must draw it all out within a decade, usually during their peak earning years, when every distribution is taxed at their top rate. The multi-generational stretch that once softened this is no longer available.
The life insurance solution
A client can use part of each RMD, after tax, to pay premiums on a life insurance policy. The death benefit, typically owned by an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) or payable directly to the heirs, is generally received income-tax-free. The heirs still inherit whatever remains in the IRA, but a significant part of the legacy now arrives tax-free rather than as taxable income over 10 years. For more on this approach, see how to use RMDs in life insurance sales.
Illustration
Assume an IRA projected at $500,000 at the surviving spouse’s death. Under the 10-year rule, children in high brackets could lose a large share of it to income tax as they withdraw it. If the clients instead used RMDs to fund a $500,000 survivorship policy, the children would receive $500,000 income-tax-free in addition to the remaining IRA. The actual design depends on ages, health, and tax rates, so run an illustration for each case.
Frequently asked questions
Does the stretch IRA still exist?
Only for eligible designated beneficiaries, such as surviving spouses, minor children of the owner, disabled or chronically ill beneficiaries, and those not more than 10 years younger. Most other heirs must empty the account within 10 years.
Can grandchildren still stretch an inherited IRA?
Generally no. Grandchildren are usually subject to the 10-year rule under the SECURE Act.
How does life insurance help with IRA inheritances?
Clients can use RMDs to pay premiums on a policy whose death benefit passes to heirs income-tax-free, offsetting the taxes heirs will owe on the inherited IRA.
Reviewed by Tim Fuller on 2026-09-25
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