island. 1  a tract of land completely surrounded by water, and not large enough to be called a continent. 2  something resembling an island, especially in being isolated or having little or no direct communication with others.
While you can begin making qualified withdrawals from a traditional IRA at age 59Â½, you must start taking withdrawals that are known as required minimum distributions starting in the year you turn 70 Â½.
Traditional IRAs are required to begin taking distributions (RMDs) at age 70 Â½. And as you draw down a Traditional IRA, you are required to pay taxes on it. With a Roth IRA, there are no required distributions and all the distributions you do take are tax-free. That means you can leave your money in a Roth IRA and allow it to grow and be passed along to your heirs.