How To Rule An IRA From The Grave; Tools For The Affluent; Trusts let you control how heirs use your IRA after you're long gone.(FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE)

Byline: PAUL KATZEFF

Suppose you have an IRA worth $750,000.

You want your kids to nurse the account after you're gone. That would let it last as long as possible. But you're afraid your children might pillage the account.

They could empty it with one lump sum withdrawal and blow the money on frivolous purchases.

One way to prevent that is to avoid withdrawals until required by law. After that, beneficiaries could take out only the smallest amount allowed under tax rules.

"That leaves as much as possible to grow inside the tax-deferred account," said Jay Herrlinger, senior financial adviser for Univest Wealth Management & Trust in Souderton, Pa. "That enables the IRA to last as long as possible."

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