Nobody likes thinking of the inevitable — death, the end of the road, or the big sleep. Yet estate planning, especially having clear beneficiaries listed for every account, is a crucial part of any ...

When it comes to estate planning, a will or a trust often receives the most attention. However, the simple act of naming a beneficiary to inherit assets in your 401(k), IRA, or savings account, or the ...

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 ...

Many people fear the word probate, and it is not without reason. Probate can be a tedious, expensive and lengthy process, where you are at the whim of the court’s timeline. But what is probate?

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 ...

Not all beneficiaries are created equal. This does not mean you do not love them equally; rather it means they are different people with different circumstances, and these circumstances should be ...

Naming children as beneficiaries may cause unforeseen problems. For example, insurance companies, pension plans and retirement accounts may not pay death benefits to minors. The benefits would likely ...

Adam B. Frankel is a personal finance writer and financial adviser with over 30 years of experience. When he’s not managing money in the stock market, he teaches financial topics and other core ...