Divisor of 1

A beneficiary of an IRA has been taking distributions for many many years. For 2019, the divisor (subtracting 1 for each year) is 1. The IRA balance at 12/31/18 was $50,000, and currently has a value of $60,000.

MRD for 2019 appears to be $50,000. But what of the remaining balance?

Never have seen the divisor get to 1. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

$50,000 / 1.0 = $50,000. Therefore the RMD for 2019 is the lessor of $50,000 or 100% of the the current account balance (which would have been the case if the IRA had a loss).

Presumably the divisor will be 1 (or lower) for the 2020 RMD which will likely wipe out any remaining balance but you could be in another situation where you wipe out he balance except for the gain between 1/1 and actual RMD next year.

Clearly they are paying out under a different method than the one where the divisor caps out at 1.9 at age 115 and above, but nothing wrong with it as long as your are following the rules.