Naming your trust as the beneficiary of your IRA could have terrible tax consequences. This single fact does not mean you should never name a trust as the beneficiary of your IRA or other retirement ...

Dear Mr. Premack: I previously had a will drawn up and I gave a copy to my beneficiary. Since then, I have decided to change my will by dropping that beneficiary and instead naming four charitable ...

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 ...

In the complex world of estate planning, one critical element often flies under the radar: beneficiary designations. These seemingly simple lines on financial documents can make or break your intended ...

Jump AI data shows 44% of meetings now cover wealth transfer. Learn five critical areas where beneficiary designations fail ...

An estate plan indicates what you want to do with your assets after you are gone. Depending on your goals, you may want to leave some funds or other assets to charity. It’s possible to create estate ...

Dear Liz: I have spent the majority of the last three decades abroad. Relationships fade away if there is little contact. Such is life. Most of the financial accounts that I have allow me to provide ...

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 ...

During my years working in financial and retirement planning, one thing became very clear: many people don’t understand the stamp duty and costs their estate will face when they die. I often had to ...

If an IRA is inherited through an estate, the distribution rules for the estate apply, even if the IRA is later transferred to a person. Distribution rules depend on whether the IRA owner died before ...