The SECURE Act, which is effective January 1, 2020. The Act is the most impactful legislation affecting retirement accounts in decades. The SECURE Act has several positive changes: It increases the required beginning date (RBD) for required minimum distributions (RMDs) from your individual retirement accounts from 70 ½ to 72 years of age, and it eliminates the age restriction for contributions to qualified retirement accounts. However, perhaps the most significant change will affect the beneficiaries of your retirement accounts: The SECURE Act requires most designated beneficiaries to withdraw the entire balance of an inherited retirement account within ten years of the account owner’s death.

The SECURE Act could have a serious impact on the future of your estate plans. One major provision of the SECURE Act is the elimination of the lifetime “stretch” for beneficiaries, with a few exceptions. Instead of requiring a non-spouse beneficiary to withdraw the required minimum distribution (RMD) over his or her life expectancy, the SECURE Act looks to shorten this time frame to either 5 or 10 years.