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Bi-weekly newsletter focused on resourceful and sustainable living.
October 29, 2026
Welcome to REESORZ Wire, providing information, tools and creative ideas to promote resourceful, sustainable and healthy living.
If you’re new to REESORZ, check out our website at Reesorz.com or subscribe to the newsletter for free.
In today’s newsletter:
Have you ever considered what will happen to your 401(k) or IRA after you die? You probably should, and contributor Natasha Davis-Patton, JD, LLM (Taxation), MBA shares what you need to know.
The organization co-founded by a Hollywood star that’s helping millions get access to clean water.
Your Halloween costume was a scary success! Now that the trick or treating is over, it may be time to give it a second life.
FEATURE ARTICLE
What happens to your IRA or 401(k) when you die?
The rules governing inherited retirement accounts have changed dramatically. Here is what every account owner — and every beneficiary — needs to understand.
For many families, a traditional IRA or 401(k) represents decades of careful saving — often the single largest asset in an estate. Yet when clients ask what will happen to those accounts after they die, many are surprised to learn just how much the rules have changed in recent years.
Two pieces of federal legislation — the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE Act) and its follow-up, SECURE 2.0 of 2022 — fundamentally rewrote the estate planning landscape for retirement accounts. Final Treasury Regulations issued in July 2024 resolved many remaining questions and confirmed how the new rules apply in practice. If you have not reviewed your retirement account beneficiary designations and overall estate plan since 2019,
there is a good chance your plan no longer works the way you intended.
The old rules: The "Stretch IRA"
Before the SECURE Act, the law allowed a non-spouse beneficiary who inherited an IRA to spread required distributions over his or her own life expectancy. A 40-year-old child who inherited a parent's $500,000 IRA, for example, might stretch those distributions over 40 or more years — letting the bulk of the account continue growing tax-deferred while only modest required minimum distributions (RMDs) were taken each year. This was known as the "stretch IRA," and it was one of the most powerful wealth-transfer tools available to families with significant retirement account balances.
What the SECURE Act Changed
The SECURE Act eliminated the life expectancy payout for most non-spouse beneficiaries. In its place, Congress imposed a ten-year rule: most beneficiaries who inherit a retirement account from someone who died after December 31, 2019 must withdraw the entire account balance by the end of the tenth calendar year following the year of the account owner's death.
Here is where the rules became unexpectedly complicated. Whether the account owner died before or after his or her Required Beginning Date (RBD) — the date by which lifetime RMDs were required to start — dramatically affects how the ten-year rule operates.
Contributor Natasha Davis-Patton, JD, LLM (Taxation), MBA of N. Davis Law, LLC practices law in Oro Valley, AZ. This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice.*
DID YOU KNOW?
Beyond the big screen: Matt Damon’s mission for clean water
You may know Matt Damon from movies, but did you know he’s also helping change lives through clean water? In 2009, Damon co-founded Water.org with water and sanitation expert Gary White. Their mission is simple but powerful: help families around the world gain access to safe water and sanitation so they can live healthier, safer, and more stable lives.
Here is why it matters.
In many communities, women and children spend hours each day walking to collect water. That time could be used for school, work, family care, or building a better future. Without safe water and sanitation, families face higher risks of illness, missed education, lost income, and unsafe living conditions.
Water.org reports that it has helped more than 70 million people access safe water or sanitation. Much of this work happens through WaterCredit, a resourceful program that connects families with small, affordable loans to install household taps, toilets, water filters, or water storage systems.
As families repay these loans, the money can help more families by creating a cycle of dignity, ownership, and practical problem-solving. This is resourcefulness on a global scale — looking at clean water as more than a basic human need and understanding that access affects health, education, safety, finances, and opportunity.
The reminder for your own life? Sometimes powerful solutions are practical and local. Whether you fix a leak, conserve water, teach children not to waste it, or support clean-water programs, you are part of a bigger story.
Water is life. Access changes everything.
SPONSORED CONTENT
Most Adults Read Fewer Than 5 Books a Year
That's 63% of us. Not because we don't want to read more, but because there isn't time.
Shortform gives you the key ideas from the books you keep meaning to get to: Atomic Habits, Thinking, Fast and Slow, How to Win Friends and Influence People, and thousands more. Each guide covers the core arguments, the context, and what to actually do with them, in a fraction of the time.
Five books a year is a slow way to learn. A hundred is possible.
REESORZ TIPS & TOOLS
Sports gear without the wallet workout
Sports can be a great activity for both kids and adults. But the cost to play can add up quickly when you start purchasing the gear required to participate.
Before you buy new, try searching for used equipment first. Look for savings through:
Play It Again Sports or other used sporting equipment stores
Facebook Marketplace and neighborhood groups
School or team gear swaps
Local recreation centers
Thrift stores and yard sales
Parent-to-parent hand-me-downs
End-of-season clearance racks
Coaching a team? Start a team “gear closet” where families donate outgrown items.
Don’t let expensive sports equipment keep you and your family off the field or out of the gym.
Finance skills revival: The comeback of the home binder
Bring back the practical skill of keeping a home binder—your old-school backup plan with modern-day value.
Include copies of:
Insurance policies
Property deeds
Warranties
Repair contacts
Utility accounts
Password guidance
Medical contacts
Pet instructions
Emergency numbers
Whether you travel, live seasonally, or care for someone else, one organized binder can save hours of confusion. Plus, compiling this information offline keeps you safe from cyberattacks or password lockouts, and also provides a reliable backup if electronics fail or the wi-fi or electricity go out.
Original documents may also provide important verification through signatures, seals, or official markings.
It’s best to keep your binder in a fire- and water-resistant container.
Paper may be old-school, but preparedness never goes out of style.
Hydration habits that improve energy and wellness
At REESORZ, we talk a lot about water, because water is one of the most important resources in the world.
Your body is made up of mostly water, often estimated around 50–70% depending on age, health, and body composition, and you need it every day to survive, think clearly, digest food, regulate temperature, support circulation, and maintain energy.
Hydration is not just about drinking something “wet.” Clean water matters. Sugary drinks, too much caffeine, or poor-quality water may not support your body the same way.
Intentional hydration means keeping water nearby, drinking before you feel thirsty, eating water-rich foods like fruits and vegetables, and paying attention to signs like fatigue, headaches, dry mouth, dark urine, or dizziness.
Water helps you survive, thrive, save money, reduce waste, and protect your health, one glass at a time.
Why Halloween is a great time to donate
After Halloween, take a quick look through your costumes, wigs, masks, accessories, and decorations. If you know you won’t use them again, donate them while they’re still easy to find and in good condition. Kids outgrow costumes quickly, and adults often choose something new each year.
Your unused capes, pumpkins, spiderwebs, or light-up skeletons could bring fun to another family next season while helping you clear space and reduce waste.
This day in History
On October 29, 1929, the U.S. stock market crashed in what became known as Black Tuesday. Panic selling swept through Wall Street as investors rushed to unload stocks, wiping out billions of dollars in value. The crash shook public confidence, devastated savings, and helped trigger the beginning of the Great Depression.
It remains one of the most important reminders of how financial systems, public trust, and economic stability are deeply connected.
REESORZ 26-week house detox challenge
Welcome to week 11 where we’re tackling mold and radon. Mold can begin to grow indoors when mold spores land on surfaces that are wet, often due to leaks, high humidity, condensation or flooding. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced from the decay of uranium in soil, rock, and water.
As a reminder, this 26-week challenge will guide you through simple yet impactful steps to help create a safer, healthier living space. Remember, detoxing your home is a process, so take it step by step. 🌱
Week 11: Test for radon and mold
What’s getting kicked out of your home? Radon gas and mold spores — the sneaky, unwanted house guests nobody invited but everyone should be wary of. Radon’s a radioactive gas that likes to sneak in through the cracks and hang out where you least want it (like your basement), while mold spores are busy making your lungs work overtime with all that sneezing and wheezing.
Challenge: Test your home for radon and give it a good mold inspection — because ignoring them is like letting uninvited party crashers mess up your place.
Replacement tip: If radon decides to stick around, install a radon mitigation system. And if mold’s taken up residence, call in the pros for a proper eviction notice (aka mold remediation). Your lungs will thank you, and your home will breathe easier too!
PRACTICAL WISDOM FOR YOUR JOURNEY
Patience is active, not passive. "If you expect nothing from somebody you are never disappointed." — Sylvia Plath (Poet & Author)
Wait with intention; use quiet moments to build the foundation for what's coming.
