Review Your Documents

Failure to review your retirement planning documents can be a DISASTER. It can really hurt your beneficiaries, this is a common mistake.

Recently a client discovered that her new husband hadn’t updated his beneficiary forms for his retirement plans. Unfortunately the client didn’t find out until he passed away unexpectedly and a quick review of his important documents revealed this mistake.

The good thing is that her deceased husband’s beneficiaries were to leave those assets to his wife and all the beneficiaries plan to honor his wishes the best way they can. But not all stories end this way, in fact loved ones are often caught in the middle of family battles and mired in litigation lasting several years.

Marriage, divorce, birth or death can occur at any time. Tax laws change or are updated on a routine basis. Even though you cannot predict what will happen, you can update your retirement plans as needed when any life changing event occurs or new legislation goes into effect that impact you or your loved ones.

Review your beneficiary forms, custodial agreements and anything else you may have in place to provide for and protect your loved ones at least once a year. An annual review will help ensure your assets will still flow the way you want them to and in the most tax efficient manner. Your retirement distribution expert and tax professional can help you with these types of reviews. These reviews should be FREE services so don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with your personal advisor(s) if you need guidance or assistance.

Source: America’s Tax Solutions Photo Credits: Pexels

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