Choose people you want to provide for (and review regularly). A spouse, child, niece, or caretaker—designate the ones you love most or who would benefit from your help. Then revisit your decision when a big life change happens, such as divorce, remarriage, birth, or death.
The Spouse Is the Automatic Beneficiary for Married People A federal law, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), governs most pensions and retirement accounts.
An eligible designated beneficiary (EDB) must be an individual, and not a nonperson entity such as a trust, an estate, or a charity (which would be not designated beneficiaries).
In general, ERISA does not cover plans established or maintained by governmental entities, churches for their employees, or plans which are maintained solely to comply with applicable workers compensation, unemployment or disability laws.
Generally, an ERISA plan participant can select just about anyone to be their beneficiary. Typically, a plan participant selects their spouse, children, or other family members.
For life insurance policies, retirement accounts (i.e., 401ks/403bs, IRAs, etc.), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and trusts, the beneficiary you name inherits the account assets, generally regardless of what your will states. For checking or savings accounts, or CDs, you may name a payable on death (POD) beneficiary.
Examples of non-ERISA health insurance plans can include: Churches or religious organizations. School systems. Government entities. Public workers. purchased on an individual basis through Covered California.
Beneficiaries of retirement plan and IRA accounts after the death of the account owner are subject to required minimum distribution (RMD) rules. A beneficiary is generally any person or entity the account owner chooses to receive the benefits of a retirement account or an IRA after they die.
In general, ERISA does not cover plans established or maintained by governmental entities, churches for their employees, or plans which are maintained solely to comply with applicable workers compensation, unemployment or disability laws.
Generally, an ERISA plan participant can select just about anyone to be their beneficiary. Typically, a plan participant selects their spouse, children, or other family members.