Naming a bank account beneficiary ensures your money goes straight to your loved ones without getting tied up in costly, time-consuming probate. Most banks let you do this through a “Payable on Death” ...

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 ...

When people think about estate planning, they often focus on wills and trusts. But one of the most important decisions about where your money goes after you die might not appear in those documents.

Updating beneficiaries as you prepare your annual tax return is a natural way to get two important jobs done at the same time ...

A newly acquired individual retirement account (IRA) is good financial news for the recipient, but clients may need help unraveling the host of rules and requirements regulating how and when ...

Roth individual retirement accounts offer unique tax advantages, including a lack of required minimum distributions in retirement — a mandatory provision for traditional IRAs, 401(k)s and other ...

When it comes to financial planning, many people assume that once they’ve named beneficiaries on their accounts, they’re set for life. But if life changes, it may be time to change your beneficiary ...

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.