This flowchart is helpful for determining if a required minimum distribution (RMD) is necessary from a traditional IRA. Some key questions to ask include:
Is the original IRA owner still living?
Has the original owner reached the age when RMDs must begin?
Who is the named beneficiary of the account (trust, estate or charity, spouse, non-spouse)?
The flowchart also explains the distribution rule differences between spousal and non-designated beneficiaries (estates, trusts, charities) as well as providing the divisor factors for