In the complex world of estate planning, one critical element often flies under the radar: beneficiary designations. These ...

Wondering whether retirement accounts go through probate? In most cases, they don’t — thanks to beneficiary designations.. Retirement accounts like IRAs, 401(k)s and annuities typically bypass probate ...

The end of the year is a time when families often gather together. Although these gatherings may keep you busy, this could be ...

Standard retirement account beneficiary forms may not be flexible enough to ensure your money passes to family members according to your wishes. Naming a trust as the contingent beneficiary can help ...

Despite efforts by plan sponsors and third-party administrators/plan recordkeepers to communicate to defined contribution retirement plan participants the importance of designating a beneficiary to ...

A recent case by the Tennessee Court of Appeals highlights the importance of changing one’s insurance and retirement policy beneficiaries after divorce. This is true no matter what the divorce ...

Dear Liz: I was perplexed by your column in which you pooh-poohed pay-on-death and transfer-on-death accounts in favor of trusts. But you gave no specific explanation. Rather, you said trusts ...