Honestly, I'd rather not

[progree]

9. I read great things about it - QCD's - Qualified Charitable Distributions, but one must be age 70.5+

(the Secure Act didn't change that age, even though it changed the first year RMD age to 72).

Basically one satisfies one's RMD requirement by donating it to charity (in the prescribed way of course -- via a direct transfer from the IRA to the charity and all that) and pay no taxes, and neither does the charity (so they get the benefit of the full amount transferred).

Edited to add: one can donate any amount -- less than the RMD, equal to the RMD, or greater than the RMD (there might be a max limit though) and whatever amount is transferred to the charity is tax free to everybody.

Doesn't matter if one is taking the standard deduction or not either -- it's not deductible anyway. Rather, its a checkbox / code on one's 1099-R or whatever that makes it tax free.

So far I haven't reached 70.5, so haven't been able to do this. But have been reading about it in Bob Carlson's "Retirement Watch" newsletter and various other places.