I am 77 years old and don’t need the funds to live on from RMD’s from my traditional IRA or the Inherited IRA from my wife. My wife passed away, June 18, 2016 at age 66. I would like to consider the options I might have currently to lower my RMD’s from both accounts. Can I transfer or rollover funds from my wife’s inherited IRA to my own IRA, which has a lower withdrawal rate, as one possibility to reduce RMD’s?

The first RMD, from my wife’s inherited IRA, started in 2021. The rate to distribute from the inherited IRA is higher than my own IRA. I have been recently reading about my situation on the internet and read this from the Schwab site;

“A spouse beneficiary never loses the right to move IRA assets inherited from a spouse to his/her own IRA. In other words, the spouse beneficiary may withdraw assets as a beneficiary from the inherited IRA, but still later, transfer the remaining balance to an IRA of his/her own. Keep in mind, an election between the five-year rule and life expectancy payments may be made, and the spouse may still transfer the inherited assets to an IRA of his/her own.”

This made me think perhaps there are some options for me.