One mistake by your heirs could result in a 60% tax bill on your retirement savings. Or, these savings can be left largely intact to provide your family with mostly tax free compounding for decades. It's up to you.

Uninformed heirs are likely to use your IRA to pay taxes, pay debts, or as their first resource for personal spending. These decisions can disasterous, and a lifetime of saving can easily be blown without even realizing it. Estate planning with your IRA can be as simple naming the right beneficiaries, or by going the more involved route of using a specially designed IRA Inheritance Trust - it depends on your family's situation. One thing's sure - don't leave it to chance.

If you'd like to know the best ways to leave your IRA to your heirs, just click here.