
Avoid naming Estate as an IRA Beneficiary
It may sound like it makes sense, and it might be easier than picking a person (or two) to name, however there are some serious downsides to naming your estate as the beneficiary for your IRA.

It may sound like it makes sense, and it might be easier than picking a person (or two) to name, however there are some serious downsides to naming your estate as the beneficiary for your IRA.

The IRS issued a revenue procedure (Rev. Proc. 2022-32) Friday that allows estates to elect ‘portability’ of a deceased spousal unused exclusion (DSUE) amount as much as five years after the decedent’s date of death.

People shopping for funeral or cremation services may be particularly vulnerable to overpaying or being swindled, which is why experts say it is important to be cautious when making those decisions.

There are many options, but the best use of the money is different for each widow and her unique circumstances.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued much anticipated proposed regulations that clarify and revise some of the required minimum distribution (RMD) rules for qualified plans (i.e., 401ks, 403bs, etc.) and individual retirement accounts (IRAs).

The rise in the stock market over the past several years, teamed with the passage of the SECURE Act two years ago—as well as the scheduled 50% reduction in the size of the federal estate tax exemption four years from now—has resulted in a renewed interest in estate planning for IRA and 401(k) accounts owned by married couples.

If you’ve ever spent time working through your estate plan, you know how important it is to select and update your beneficiaries.

About 1.5 million Americans become widows and widowers in a normal year, but the pandemic has boosted that significantly. The National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University estimates that about 380,000 of more than 700,000 people in the U.S. who have died from Covid were married.

No one relishes the thought of the day they pass away and leave all their worldly possessions behind. However, it’s a certainty that no one can avoid. Thankfully, you have options for planning for what happens to your estate, including a will or a family trust.