Maybe it’s an insurance policy you took out years ago. Or the retirement plan you set up with your employer the day you started working for the company. Or the IRA you have been scrupulously contributing to for two decades.
You created them all to protect your financial future and that of the people you care about most. But over time, your personal situation may have changed. Perhaps you have gotten divorced and remarried? Or one of your children has gotten married, and you are not exactly thrilled with your new son or daughter in law? The fact is, change is a part of life. The question is, have your beneficiary designations kept pace with the changes in your life?
We understand that reviewing your designations is something that’s easy to put off, the kind of chore you’ll get to “any day now.” The consequences of not doing so, however, can be catastrophic. At the very least, it will thwart your wishes regarding precisely who you want to receive your hard-earned assets after you are gone. As your estate planning counselor, we can’t help but implore you—okay, maybe even nag you—to review your designations as soon as possible. Preferably today… right now!
