No, one cannot put their individual retirement account (IRA) in a trust while living; however, naming the trust as beneficiary is acceptable. If one takes an IRA out of their name, it will trigger a taxable event, even though the trust may be tax non-obligatory. The taxes would occur before the assets are put into the trust. One can, however, name a trust as the beneficiary of one's IRA and dictate how the assets are to be handled after death. This applies to all types of IRAs, including traditional, Roth, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs.