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Estate Planning › Retirement Plan › Beneficiaries

Estate Planning is a process where individuals prepare or plan for the settlement of their personal affairs in the event of incapacitation or death. Estate plans typically include provisions relating to the... more +
Estate Planning is a process where individuals prepare or plan for the settlement of their personal affairs in the event of incapacitation or death. Estate plans typically include provisions relating to the disposition of assets, guardianship of minor children, and appointment of representatives to make medical and financial decisions. Effective estate planning can decrease tax liability and facilitate the probate process.  less -
Foley & Lardner LLP

Trump Accounts: The New Child Savings Account Established Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Foley & Lardner LLP on

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA). The OBBA established a new type of tax-advantaged savings account for minors, known as “Trump Accounts.” While the specific details of...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Estate Planning in Uncertain Times

Troutman Pepper Locke on

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."- The Serenity Prayer- The first 100 days of President Trump’s administration have been...more

Offit Kurman

Unintended Inheritance Happens More Than You Think: Ensuring Your Loved Ones Inherit as Intended

Offit Kurman on

Roughly two-thirds of Americans are estimated to die without executing a valid will. As a result, assets in their name will pass under the laws of intestacy of their home state. The laws of intestacy are essentially default...more

Verrill

Plan Sponsors: How much thought have you given to your defined contribution retirement plan’s default beneficiary hierarchy?

Verrill on

Despite efforts by plan sponsors and third-party administrators/plan recordkeepers to communicate to defined contribution retirement plan participants the importance of designating a beneficiary to receive any remaining...more

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C.

Passing Retirement Benefits to a Child With Special Needs

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C. on

Under the SECURE Act, disabled beneficiaries can stretch out inherited retirement account distributions beyond 10 years, provided their life expectancy is longer than the default 10-year rule. Generally, an Applicable...more

Pillsbury - Propel

Preparing for the Unthinkable: Treatment of Compensation and Benefits on Death of an Employee

Pillsbury - Propel on

When an employee unexpectedly dies, companies often want to act quickly so as to minimize disruption to the deceased employee’s family. While that is an important goal, companies need to ensure that they follow federal and...more

Offit Kurman

Why You Need to Update Your Estate Planning After a Divorce

Offit Kurman on

Divorce is a major life change that affects far more than just your relationship status. One crucial—but often overlooked—aspect that needs immediate attention after a divorce is your estate plan. Failing to update your...more

Proskauer Rose LLP

Wealth Management Update - April 2025

Proskauer Rose LLP on

The April 2025 Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 5.00%, which is 0.40% less than the March 2025 rate. The April applicable federal rate (“AFR”) for use with a...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Benefits Basics - When an Employee Dies: A Resource Guide for HR & Benefits Professionals

Foley & Lardner LLP on

As a member of your company’s human resources or employee benefits department, one of the most difficult calls you may receive is from a colleague or an employee’s family member notifying you of the death of an employee. This...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Do the Retirement Plan Provisions in Your Trust Still Align with Your Estate Planning Goals Following Updates to the SECURE Act?

Bowditch & Dewey on

Following the IRS’ finalization of the SECURE Act regulations on July 18, 2024, it is a good time to review the retirement benefit provisions of your trust to make sure they still align with your estate planning goals....more

Offit Kurman

Equal Shares, Unequal Outcomes: Estate Planning Strategies for Parents and their Qualified Retirement Accounts

Offit Kurman on

Typically, a parent wishes to treat their children equally in their estate plan and presumes they will achieve this goal by dividing all their assets into equal shares upon their death. Accordingly, they will designate their...more

Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP

Privacy Protection in Estate Planning: The ABCs of Maximizing Confidentiality

Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP on

Is anything private anymore? We live in a digital age where information is quick and abundant. While this is helpful in many circumstances, it may seem most concerning when it comes to your estate plan. Your estate plan...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Your Girlfriend from the 1980s is Grateful for Your Million Dollars.

Fox Rothschild LLP on

It is no secret that a lot of people in America are living alone and while many have been in one or more serious relationships those never culminated in marriage. Meanwhile, these people accumulate assets but often don’t pay...more

Shutts & Bowen LLP

SECURE 2.0 and Protecting Your Designated Beneficiaries

Shutts & Bowen LLP on

The Setting Every Community Up For Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act) was attached to a spending bill (the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, or FCAA) and signed into law on December 20, 2019, taking effect...more

Allen Barron, Inc.

Estate and Tax Planning for US Expatriates

Allen Barron, Inc. on

What are the most important elements of estate and tax planning for US expatriates?  Are you planning to move out of the United States?  Are you a US taxpayer who lives and works outside of the country?  What are some of the...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Estate Planning Update: Recent IRS Ruling Offers a Stark Reminder of the Benefits of Proper Estate Planning for Retirement...

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL on

Despite ultimately finding in favor of a taxpayer surviving spouse, IRS Private Letter Ruling 2023-22-014 (the “PLR”) is chock-full of reasons to ensure proper planning is in place when it comes to IRAs....more

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP

The Estate Planner, January/February 2023

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP on

Pay attention to securities laws when planning your estate - Do your assets include unregistered securities, such as restricted stock or interests in hedge funds or private equity funds? If so, it’s important to consider...more

Ruder Ware

How is That Account Titled?

Ruder Ware on

My husband just recently opened a new account at one of those online, do-it-yourself, investment companies.  He promises that with the tiny amount of money I was willing to allow him to experiment with that he will make us...more

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,...

Do I Need to Update My Estate Plan?

Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard,... on

If your life changes, so should your estate plan. Marriage, divorce, death of a spouse, a birth and a changing relationship with a child are just some of the life changes that may affect your estate plan. Unfortunately, as...more

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C.

Be a nice family member, get your beneficiary forms in order

Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C. on

I hate death, I hate talking about death, the whole point of living is not dying. Yet, when it comes to setting things rights, I’ve done the best I can in terms of drafting a will and keep beneficiary forms up to date....more

Pullman & Comley, LLC

Beneficiary Designated Property: A Trap for the Unwary

Pullman & Comley, LLC on

Financial institutions and brokerage firms occasionally recommend that client accounts be structured as joint or beneficiary-designated accounts without full consideration of the impact on the client’s estate plan....more

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP

The Estate Planner, July/August 2021

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP on

Annual exclusion gifts - A deceptively powerful estate planning strategy - In 2021, the federal lifetime gift and estate tax exemption amount is a whopping $11.7 million. So, for most people, it may seem like planning...more

Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC

Everything You Need to Know About Beneficiary Designations

Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC on

Presented by Cohen Seglias associate Whitney Patience O'Reilly on October 22, 2020. An often overlooked but important aspect of estate planning is the designation of beneficiaries—both primary and contingent—on life...more

Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC

[Webinar] Everything You Need to Know About Beneficiary Designations - October 22nd, 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm ET

Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC on

An often overlooked but important aspect of estate planning is the designation of beneficiaries—both primary and contingent—on life insurance policies and retirement accounts. In this webinar, Whitney O’Reilly, a seasoned...more

Weintraub Tobin

Guess What? The Laws HAVE Changed – Avoiding A Conduit Trust Catastrophe After The SECURE Act

Weintraub Tobin on

Like most estate planners, we always remind clients that tax and estate planning laws are subject to change and frequently do. As busy practitioners, it is impossible for us to reach out to every client when a change might...more

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