Key Takeaways Your 401(k) passes to the person you name on your beneficiary form—not through your will.Spouses and ...

You cannot name a legal minor as a beneficiary. This applies to almost all legal documents, most notably wills and life insurance policies. The significant exception to this rule is trusts. You can ...

If you want to leave your individual retirement account (IRA) to your grandchildren, you should know that minors can’t inherit an IRA directly. Instead, a custodian should be appointed until the minor ...

Estate planning is a broad term that describes the process of directing what happens to you assets upon your death.

Naming a beneficiary is an essential step in estate planning that allows individuals to determine how their assets will be distributed in the event of their death. By understanding the different types ...

Key Points ・Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance, and bank accounts are legally binding contracts ...

Updating beneficiaries as you prepare your annual tax return is a natural way to get two important jobs done at the same time ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Bob Carlson researches all facets of retirement finances. Congress and the IRS made inheriting an IRA a very complicated, ...

If you have a life insurance policy, you have named a beneficiary—usually a family member who will receive a payment based on the life insurance policy after your death. You may have also named a ...

DALLAS — A will is one of those things that a lot of us put off as long as possible. All that paperwork, those details, the intimidating legalese, and thinking about dying –they’re all good reasons to ...