Phoenix, AZ estates & probate attorney Mark Bregman talks about individual retirement trusts. He discusses that an Individual Retirement Trust (IRT) is a relatively new estate planning tool that allows individuals to have greater control over how their IRA assets are managed and distributed. Unlike traditional arrangements, where beneficiaries rely solely on the custodian or a financial advisor to handle the account, an IRT ensures that assets are allocated according to the account holder’s specific intentions.

He notes that in 2025, the IRT is particularly valuable in situations where a surviving spouse needs access to required minimum distributions, while the remainder of the account is intended to pass to children. It is also an effective solution when a beneficiary is a minor or, in the account holder’s judgment, not yet capable of managing their own affairs. By creating this structured “wrapper” around an IRA, the IRT provides a trustee-directed approach that differs from traditional methods, offering a flexible and powerful tool for estate planning.