This page is a plain-language overview, not a full walkthrough of every rule. The mechanics below change from time to time, so treat this as a starting map — the links at the end go to sources built to stay current.

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• Traditional IRAs and 401(k)s require annual withdrawals — required minimum distributions, or RMDs — starting at age 73 for most people today, rising to 75 for those born in 1960 or later.

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• Missing an RMD triggers an excise tax on the shortfall. [VERIFY] The first RMD can be delayed to April 1 of the following year, which then means two distributions that year.

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• Roth IRAs have no RMD requirement during the original owner’s lifetime, at any age.

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• Roth 401(k)s were brought in line with that treatment by the SECURE 2.0 Act and are now also exempt from RMDs while the original owner is alive.

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• Separately, withdrawing from a traditional or Roth IRA/401(k) before age 59½ generally triggers a 10% early-withdrawal penalty on top of regular income tax (for Roth accounts, only on earnings withdrawn early, not original contributions).

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• A taxable brokerage account has neither an RMD floor nor an early-withdrawal ceiling — money can move at any age, with tax owed only on gains actually realized.