Understanding the difference between per stirpes and per capita can determine whether your grandchildren receive an inheritance or are unintentionally left out.

An individual retirement account (IRA) can be a significant estate asset. How the account is handled depends on whether a beneficiary is named, who that beneficiary is and which distribution rules ...

A financial advisor can help you understand how your beneficiary choices fit into your financial strategy and ensure your assets go where you want them to go. It may also make sense to work with a ...

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 ...

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

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

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 ...

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

A 401(k) can be one of the largest assets in an estate, but its treatment after death is governed by specific rules. Beneficiary designations determine who receives the account, while federal ...