5 Points to Consider When Naming a Beneficiary

Who is a “beneficiary?” The word includes more than just the recipient of insurance funds or the inheritor of property. A beneficiary can be the recipient of funds or other property from a will, trust, retirement plan or life insurance. But there are differences with each beneficiary type. A recent article in the Chicago Tribune discusses 5 important considerations when naming a beneficiary.

1. A beneficiary of a will must wait until the will goes into probate before they receive any of their inheritance. Beneficiaries of a will can wait months or even years before receiving their inheritance, and court costs and fees can erode the amount they eventually receive. That’s why many people choose to incorporate a revocable living trust into their estate plan.

2. A beneficiaries of a life insurance policy or retirement plan account will receive the money directly. These assets do not (generally) go through probate. Rather, the proceeds are paid to the beneficiary usually upon proof of identity of the beneficiary and proof of death of the account owner.

3. Minors generally do not make good beneficiaries. While the beneficiary is under age 18, a conservator will manage money or property for them until they reach age 18, when they receive the money outright. Which means that there is no further direction or control over how the money is spent – goodby college fund, hello Corvette!

4. Chose beneficiaries with care. Naming the “correct” beneficiary of a retirement account could allow the account to grow tax deferred for many years.

5. Beneficiary designations have consequences and you need to consider them carefully. For instance, naming a disabled person as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy could render that person ineligible for valuable governmental benefits such as Social Security supplemental income and Medicaid.

Please take a few minutes and read the entire article here.