An individual retirement account (IRA) can be a significant estate asset. How the account is handled depends on whether a ...

Love may fade, but beneficiary designations do not. That was the hard lesson learned in a legal dispute between a man’s estate and his ex-spouse ...

I’ve written several articles about the advantages of Roth IRAs, but I have never discussed the beneficiary rules, which ...

Splitting an IRA among heirs is often the best choice for parents so that there is no dissension or in-fighting among ...

When you open a retirement account or buy a life insurance policy, you’re asked to name a beneficiary. It might seem like just another form to fill out, but this simple step can affect your ...

When you open a 401(k), you can name a beneficiary to inherit your account when you pass away. Inheriting a 401(k) comes with a range of beneficiary rules that depend on the beneficiary's relationship ...

A spouse beneficiary is the person who will inherit a 401(k) account if the account holder passes away. The rules for spouse beneficiaries determine how the account assets are distributed, which can ...

You might not have thought much about beneficiary designations — but they can play a big role in your estate planning. When you purchase insurance policies and open investment accounts, such as your ...

As of mid-2024, individual retirement accounts collectively held $16.2 trillion of assets, according to a March report from the Investment Company Institute. But many investors overlook beneficiary ...

A recent decision from the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit involving the retirement plan account of a deceased participant usefully illustrates the importance of following plan procedures ...

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Most parties know the importance of saving original wills. They are executed with great formality, notarized, and regarded as the final work in distribution of property. What many, if not most, people ...