The RMD Age-73 Survival Kit

At age 73, the IRS requires you to start pulling money out of your Traditional retirement accounts — whether you need it or not. Get the amount wrong, or miss the deadline, and the penalty is 25% of what you should have withdrawn.

On a typical $70,000 RMD, that is $17,500 in penalties alone. The IRS does not send a reminder. Your broker usually does not warn you. This kit walks you through the rules, the setup, the calendar, and the recovery process — so the penalty never has a chance to hit you.

WHAT'S INSIDE — 26 PAGES:

- What RMDs actually are and which accounts they apply to

- SECURE Act 2.0 changes (25% penalty down from 50%, 10% reduction for prompt correction)

- Full IRS Uniform Lifetime Table from ages 73 through 95 with factors and annual withdrawal percentages

- Worked calculation example

- Step-by-step automatic RMD setup at Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab, Empower, TIAA

- Complete QCD (Qualified Charitable Distribution) deep dive with the $105K limit

- First-dollars-out rule and exact custodian instructions for QCDs

- Inherited IRA rules including the SECURE Act 10-year rule

- Five legal RMD reduction strategies (Roth conversions, QLACs, still-working exception, consolidation, QCDs)

- Fillable year-by-year calendar from 73 to 95

- Four ready-to-use broker call scripts

- Full Form 5329 missed-RMD recovery chapter

- Ready-to-adapt IRS waiver letter template

- Annual checklist broken down by January, July, December, and tax-season

THREE REAL CASE STUDIES:

- Martin's first-year trap (delayed first RMD, got hit with $6,700 in stacking damage)

- Helen's shortfall and recovery (missed $8,566, recovered with Form 5329 waiver)

- Bob & Jean's QCD strategy (saved $6,600/year by routing $30K charitable giving through QCDs)

WHO IT'S FOR:

- Anyone aged 70 or older with Traditional IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b) balances

- Anyone turning 73 in the next 3 years (your RMDs start)

- Charitable givers who have never heard of QCDs

- Anyone who missed an RMD and doesn't know how to fix it

FORMAT: PDF, 26 pages, instant download. Readable on any device.

All content is educational reference material and is explicitly not personalized financial advice.

Written by Rabbi Mizrahi.