Before you dash off your spouse's name, or put Junior's Social Security number on the dotted line, make sure you're not making any of these mistakes. Naming beneficiaries should be the easiest task ...

A few years ago during a prior Congress and prior presidential administration, a federal law known as the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement or SECURE Act, became effective on Jan.

Sometimes conflicting beneficiary designations for 401(k) plan assets can be tough to sort out when a plan participant dies. It took a verdict from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 9 th ...

When you think of estate planning, most people think about getting their wills and trusts in order. But for many investors, their IRA or 401(k) beneficiary designation form will control the ...

As a plan sponsor, you need to make sure that participant beneficiary forms are up to date. It’s not enough that you make sure that every participant has filled one out, you also have to make sure ...

Filling out the beneficiary form for annuities might seem simple. Just fill in the names and move on. But Jeffrey Levine, an individual retirement account (IRA) consultant with Ed Slott and Co., said ...

George Lambert has spent 30+ years in the financial industry; his roles include CFP, certified divorce financial analyst, and FINRA arbitrator. Patricio Nahuelhual / Getty Images If you're signing up ...

Stepchildren might not have the same legal standing as biological children if beneficiary forms don't make that clear. In a recent case, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a plan ...

Don't let your legacy become a nightmare for your family Anne Mollegen Smith is the founder and head of Brooklyn Artisan. She has 35+ years of journalism experience, both as a reporter and editor.

When couples divorce, it seems obvious that they should change their beneficiary designations on a variety of accounts. But a recent case before the U.S. Supreme Court shows that sometimes such ...