Wondering whether retirement accounts go through probate? In most cases, they don’t — thanks to beneficiary designations.. Retirement accounts like IRAs, 401(k)s and annuities typically bypass probate ...

Probate is a legal process that verifies the validity of a deceased person’s will. This includes addressing debts and distributing remaining assets. If you die without a will or a living trust, ...

Charlene Rhinehart is a CPA , CFE, chair of an Illinois CPA Society committee, and has a degree in accounting and finance from DePaul University. Suzanne is a content marketer, writer, and ...

With either a transfer-on-deth or a payable-on-death account, you are in control. The assets in the account pass directly to your named beneficiary and bypass probate, the court proceeding that ...

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When a person dies without proper planning, their estate enters a public legal process that can last months—sometimes ...

Q: My elderly mother has a will stating that her estate, which consists solely of a small amount of money, shall be divided equally between her three children. This will was written a long time ago. I ...

When I was presenting before a group of Stamford seniors last week, I realized many members of the audience were not familiar with "transfer on death" or "TOD" brokerage account registrations. I ...

Question: To avoid probate at my demise, I named my son joint owner of all my accounts. It's still considered my money, right? Answer: No, and you've taken a risk with this arrangement. Your son may ...