Financial institutions and brokerage firms occasionally recommend that client accounts be structured as joint or beneficiary-designated accounts without full consideration of the impact on the ...

Key Takeaways Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts override your will when it's time to determine who inherits your funds.Many people forget to update beneficiary forms, which leads to ...

A beneficiary designation is a document — usually a simple form — that tells a financial institution or insurance company who ...

Three best practices for plan administration that often fall by the wayside include: (1) regularly reminding participants to review and update their beneficiary designations; (2) checking ...

One of the biggest myths and misconceptions of estate planning is that a will controls the disposition of all one’s assets at death. This is not the case. Failing to distinguish the difference between ...

Beneficiary designations are among the most important legacy decisions you will make. A variety of financial accounts, including retirement plans and life insurance policies, allow you to designate ...

A variety of financial accounts, including retirement plans and life insurance, allow individuals to designate beneficiaries. Whoever is named on a beneficiary designation form will receive those ...

Thomas J. Brock is a CFA and CPA with more than 20 years of experience in various areas including investing, insurance portfolio management, finance and accounting, personal investment and financial ...

Wills and trust are often thought of as the main components of an estate plan – the documents that determine who will receive our assets at death. However, simple beneficiary designation forms, which ...

David F. Powell, professor, Florida State University School of Law, and Tye J. Klooster attorney, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Chicago These are the sample trust form provisions referenced in the ...