​When the SECURE Act (2019) altered the retirement rules, investment advisors became burdened with managing the new 10-Year Rule. Under this rule, account custodians must distribute the total amount of the retirement account to the inheritor within ten years. During the 10-year period, clients need to be apprised of the remaining years left within the 10-year period.

The additional complexity engendered by the SECURE Act of 2019 calls for greater vigilance on the part of financial advisors when it comes to tracking Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). The introduction of the 10-year rule and the establishment of Eligible Designated Beneficiaries (EDBs) created additional intricacy to RMDs.

​The SECURE Act of 2019 increased the complexity of administering retirement plans for clients. Financial advisors are responsible to track the setup, investment, and distribution of these important client resources.

​Under the SECURE Act (2019) , beneficiary designations took on added importance because the SECURE Act introduced a 10-Year Rule wherein account custodians must distribute the total amount of the retirement account within ten years.
Non-designated beneficiaries (charities, estates, and non-see-through trusts) may have only five years to distribute the account if the participant died before his or her Required Beginning Date (the 5-Year Rule).

​Under the new SECURE Act of 2019 rules, Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) for beneficiaries inherited after 2019 depend upon the date of death of the Participant. 
We added a sixth option in Step 1 to accommodate the 10-Year Rule, specifically, the “Successor Beneficiary” option. We now designate the Participant as the “Primary Beneficiary.” All follow-on beneficiaries are “Successor Beneficiaries.”

​The SECURE Act of 2019 dramatically altered the rules for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) for designated beneficiaries. The distribution of an RMD to a designated beneficiary or a successor beneficiary now depends upon the date of death of the participant.

​The first step in calculating a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) is to understand the client scenario. There are six possible scenarios.