Ashlea Ebeling

speaker

2,002 appearances 38 recordings 1 series first heard Jul 2022 last heard Feb 2025

Ashlea Ebeling’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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WSJ Your Money Briefing · Why Your Will Isn’t Always the Last Word on Who Gets Your Assets · 27 Oct 2023 podcast

There are actually a lot of documents that can override wills, and the chances are you've already filled them out through the beneficiary forms for retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and some bank and brokerage accounts. voice-verified

And it's true whether the accounts are open through your workplace or on your own. voice-verified

So in that case, the man, he was a veterinarian in Arkansas, married to a third wife. voice-verified

She said she wanted to leave him. voice-verified

He rushed to update his will and other estate planning documents to ensure she wouldn't get anything. voice-verified

But when he faxed in the change of beneficiary form to the insurance company, he failed to sign and date it. voice-verified

So he was trying to put his three children from his first marriage as the new beneficiaries. voice-verified

They ended up in a six-year legal fight that went all the way up to the Arkansas Supreme Court. voice-verified

It's an unusual case. voice-verified

Usually the person on the policy named on the beneficiary form is the one who gets it. voice-verified

So in these cases, very often an ex-spouse can get the proceeds. voice-verified

That's the kind of crazy thing with these forms. voice-verified

It's often in the case of 401k plans, it's federal law that applies in the case of the life insurance policies. voice-verified

It's whatever the company's policy says. voice-verified

So you can really get stuck with these unintended consequences. voice-verified

For 401 s, the married spouses are essentially automatically entitled to the money unless they sign a notarized formal waiver. voice-verified

With individual retirement accounts, it's different. voice-verified

In most states there, you can name someone other than your spouse as a beneficiary without getting a waiver. voice-verified

But then again, there are always exceptions. voice-verified

If you're in a community property state like California or Texas, there you'll still need a waiver. voice-verified

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