Your 401(k) doesn’t just disappear when you die. Here’s how it’s transferred, who gets it, the tax impact, and why beneficiary updates matter more than you think.

Banks and other financial institutions don’t automatically ask account holders to designate a beneficiary, so it can be easy to forget or postpone adding a beneficiary until it’s more convenient. But ...

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 ...

Question: My mother is the trustee of her revocable living trust, with me as the sole beneficiary. The only asset in the trust is my mother’s house. My mother wants to simplify things and record a ...

A Roth IRA doesn’t have required minimum distributions unless it’s inherited. Withdrawal options vary depending on your relation to the deceased. Consult a tax professional before making decisions ...

Dear Liz: In response to a reader who asked about creating a will, you suggested options for low-cost online resources. That is great! But, I would encourage you to remind readers to designate ...

Because, when the couple was dating in the 1980s, Mr. Rolison had listed Ms. Sjostedt as the sole beneficiary of his retirement account, and then never updated the form to designate a new beneficiary, ...

Transfer on Death (“TOD”), also known as Payable on Death (“POD”), account registrations are a popular way to avoid the requirement to pass assets through probate upon death and operate as an ...

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 ...

When Priscilla Presley challenged her late daughter’s will recently, it raised the prospect of a family rift and a messy legal battle over who would guide Elvis’ big estate. But legal experts say ...

Time to catch up on some of the questions that readers have sent in. Q: I've read that you can add a payable on death beneficiary to a car title. I've gone to the BMV website but I can't find a form.

An irrevocable beneficiary has a guaranteed right to receive the death benefit from your life insurance policy, and their consent is required for any changes that affect their rights. Naming minor ...