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 ...

If you want to leave your individual retirement account (IRA) to your grandchildren, you should know that minors can’t inherit an IRA directly. Instead, a custodian should be appointed until the minor ...

If you think a will or trust will ensure that your IRA or 401(k) assets go to the person you want after your death, think again. The beneficiaries you list on these accounts will take precedence over ...

While the execution of wills requires formalities like witnesses and a notary, the reality is that most property passes to heirs through other, less formal means. Many bank and investments accounts, ...

One of the world’s most influential fashion moguls passed away and may have dedicated part of a $300 million fortune to his pet cat. This had a lot of people undoubtedly thinking, “Who would I leave ...

Most working Americans use an Investment Retirement Account (IRA) as their main vehicle for retirement planning. If your client also chooses an IRA to leave assets to their family, naming a trust as ...

Do yourself a favor: Check the heirs named on your IRA or 401(k) retirement plans. Then check your parents’ accounts. A lot is riding on these designations, and it’s easy for life to outrun planning ...

In Transamerica Life Ins. Co. v. Quarm, Thomas Quarm obtained a life insurance policy and designated his mother as his beneficiary and his brother, Nicholas, as the alternate beneficiary. No. EP-16-CV ...

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 ...

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