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 ...

Key Takeaways Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts override your will when it's time to determine who inherits ...

Find out how an outdated beneficiary form can override your will and unintentionally leave retirement savings or life ...

This 401(k) beneficiary mistake can result in all of your hard-earned money going to the wrong person. Here's how to avoid it ...

Who you designate as your beneficiary is important when it comes to the wealth transfer. The dramatic reading of the will in a wood-paneled office has long been a staple of television dramas. Who's in ...

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 ...

In a somewhat surprising case, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled that a participant may change his prior written beneficiary designation by a telephone call to the plan sponsor.

An often-neglected area in the world of benefit plan administration is the beneficiary designation form. Many participants complete their beneficiary designations incorrectly because they don’t read ...

An employer’s retirement plan documents did not incorporate beneficiary designation forms in its language or appendices, so the forms did not govern the award of benefits, a court ruled. A federal ...

Benefit administrators, 401(k) vendors, recordkeepers and benefits professionals regularly recommend that participants in qualified retirement plans periodically review and update their beneficiary ...

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Ebony Howard is a certified public accountant and a QuickBooks ProAdvisor tax expert. She ...

Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts override your will when it's time to determine who inherits your funds. Many people forget to update beneficiary forms, which leads to unintended ...