Wills & Trusts
Ensuring your assets go where you intend and your family is protected.
Why Your Will May Not Control Your Retirement Accounts
Many assets, including IRAs and other retirement accounts, pass to whoever is named on the beneficiary form rather than through your will. Keeping those designations current is a core part of estate planning.
All Wills & Trusts Articles17 more
Why Your Joint Bank Account May Not Follow Your Will
How a joint bank account is titled can determine who inherits the money, sometimes overriding what a will says. Understanding rights of survivorship and tenancy in common can prevent unexpected outcomes.
July 22, 2026
How Your Bank Account Is Titled Can Override Your Will
The way a joint bank account is held determines who inherits the money, and it may not match what your will says. Understanding survivorship and tenancy in common helps you avoid unexpected outcomes.
July 15, 2026
How Your Bank Account Is Titled Can Override Your Will
The way a joint bank account is held often decides who gets the money after death, sometimes regardless of what a will says. Understanding account titling helps families avoid confusion when it matters most.
July 8, 2026
Why a Will Is Only Part of Your Estate Plan: Understanding the Documents That Work on Their Own Track
A will is not the only record that determines what happens to your money after death. Beneficiary designations and account ownership often operate under separate rules, and problems tend to surface when families are least prepared.
July 1, 2026
Why Your Will Isn't the Only Document That Decides Who Gets Your Money
A will matters, but account titles and beneficiary forms can override it. Here is how joint accounts pass to heirs and why reviewing your estate paperwork as one connected set prevents costly confusion.
June 24, 2026
Why Estate Settlement Involves More Than a Will: A Guide to the Paperwork Families Actually Face
Settling an estate usually touches many separate systems beyond a single will or trust. Understanding how those documents and records connect can make the process far less confusing for surviving families.
June 17, 2026
Why Your Will Isn't Your Whole Estate Plan
A will or trust matters, but beneficiary forms and account titling often control who actually inherits. Understanding how these pieces fit together helps families avoid surprises.
June 10, 2026
Portability Explained: How a Surviving Spouse Can Preserve an Unused Estate Tax Exclusion
Portability lets a surviving spouse use a deceased spouse's unused federal estate tax exclusion, but only if an executor files the right paperwork on time. Here is how the rule works and why it can be easy to overlook.
June 3, 2026
Why a Will Alone Doesn't Avoid Probate: How Wills, Trusts, and Beneficiary Forms Actually Work Together
A will still goes through probate, and a living trust only helps if assets are properly titled into it. Here is how wills, trusts, and beneficiary designations fit together in a working estate plan.
May 27, 2026
What a Revocable Living Trust Actually Does—and What It Doesn't
A revocable living trust can help your assets avoid probate and provide a plan if you become incapacitated, but it is not a shield against creditors, lawsuits, or Medicaid spend-down rules. Understanding the difference matters.
May 20, 2026
What a Revocable Living Trust Can and Cannot Do for Your Estate
A revocable living trust excels at avoiding probate and providing continuity if you become incapacitated, but it offers no protection from creditors, lawsuits, or Medicaid spend-down rules. Understanding both sides helps families use it correctly.
May 13, 2026
Wills vs. Trusts: What Every Retiree Should Know
Probate, revocable living trusts, pour-over wills, and the beneficiary designation mistakes that undo even the best estate plans.
January 15, 2025
Digital Assets in Estate Planning: Crypto, Online Accounts, and What Retirees Often Miss
From cryptocurrency wallets to email accounts and cloud photo libraries, digital assets present unique estate planning challenges—and most retirees have not addressed them in their plans.
November 15, 2024
The #1 Estate Planning Mistake: Why Beneficiary Designations Override Everything Else
Your will does not control who inherits your retirement accounts, life insurance, or bank accounts with payable-on-death designations—and the mismatch between documents and designations is the most common and costly estate planning error.
October 1, 2024
SECURE 2.0 Inherited IRA Rules: What Beneficiaries Must Do in 2025 and Beyond
After multiple years of penalty waivers and regulatory delay, the inherited IRA rules stemming from the SECURE Act are now fully in force—and 2025 is the first year that non-compliance carries real consequences.
July 19, 2024
Advance Directive, Living Will, Healthcare Proxy: Understanding the Differences
Many Americans use 'advance directive' and 'living will' interchangeably, but they are not the same document. Understanding the distinctions — and what happens when none exist — is essential planning at any age.
October 31, 2022
Estate Planning Basics for Retirees: Five Documents Everyone Should Have
A complete estate plan does not require great wealth — it requires five core legal documents that make your wishes legally enforceable, protect your loved ones during a health crisis, and help your assets transfer efficiently.
January 29, 2013Also from REN
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October 11, 2026Free Weekly Briefing
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