Some financial products like life insurance or tax-advantaged retirement accounts require you to name one or more beneficiaries. However, that's not the case with many assets. For instance, you can ...

If you ask most people what they want out of an estate plan, the answer is usually: “Make the process easy on my family and ...

The simplest oversights can cause the biggest problems for heirs, especially those intended to inherit retirement accounts. Over the years, I’ve seen a number of court cases in which the logical ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Up-to-date beneficiary designations are an important part of maintaining the health of your overall estate plan. When naming a beneficiary to an account, such as life insurance, retirement plans, ...

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Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Matthew F. Erskine is a trusts and estates attorney. Along with a Will and a Trust, the most common documents used in estate ...

Donating part or all of your remaining retirement assets, such as your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension or other tax-deferred plan, is an excellent way to make a gift to our organization. How to make a ...