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Keeping Beneficiaries Research Paper

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Mainstar Blog: Importance of Keeping Beneficiaries Updated Have you checked who is designated as your beneficiary on your retirement account lately? For many people, naming beneficiaries happens one time, when they set up the account or policy. However, life changes (birth, marriage, divorce, death) are inevitable, and when these changes occur, you, or your family, may find that the designated beneficiary on your retirement account is not who you think it should be. When it comes to planning for wealth transfers, it is extremely important to review your beneficiaries periodically…especially if you have had children, divorced, or remarried since you established your retirement account. Or, if you had previously named a charity or trust as …show more content…

Doing so may extend your retirement savings after your death and allow your money to continue to grow tax deferred. Another reason it is important to name the correct beneficiaries is to avoid probate, a long and typically expensive process that involves reviewing and determining where your will and assets will be distributed after your death. Ensuring you have selected your preferred beneficiaries is crucial as it is these designated beneficiaries that override any distribution requests made in a will. There is no limit to the number of beneficiaries you can name for your retirement plan. There are, however, different distribution options available based on who you designate as beneficiary, whether it is a spouse or non-spouse selected. Your spouse is the only individual who can inherit your IRA and treat it like their own; they can roll it into their own IRA or leave it as inherited and take distributions as they need. If you name a child or grandchild as your beneficiary, this allows the required minimum distributions (RMD) to be calculated over their life expectancy and stretches the amount of time the money can grow tax …show more content…

Without a living beneficiary designated, your assets may be transferred to your estate, in which case state law would intervene to determine who receives it. Usually it is assumed that the heir(s) named in the will receive all proceeds, but this can be challenged as beneficiary designations supersede the will. When considering beneficiaries for your IRA account, it is important to remember that you can select both primary and contingent beneficiaries. Contingent beneficiaries inherit the IRA if the primary precedes you in death. For instance, if you select a friend as beneficiary but neglect to change the designation in the event your friend dies and you then pass away, your friend’s spouse or children could claim the asset. This can be frustrating and confusing for survivors who may need to work with a legal team or court to determine true beneficiary designation if the account is outdated, and the court’s decision may not always be what you would have wanted. This is particularly the case in divorce situations or if children were born after the initial designation was

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