Be Estate Ready

"I have a will. I think it's good." This week we explain why that sentence almost always means "I don't really know" — and walk through exactly what it takes to be estate ready, so the wealth you leave behind improves the next generation instead of tearing it apart.
 
On this week's Money On Tap, we get into the uncomfortable truth of estate planning: the beneficiary form on an account supersedes your will, and the company holding the asset will pay whoever is named on it — period. We break down the four buckets every asset passes through (will-controlled assets, beneficiary designations, joint ownership, and trusts), the dollars-vs-percentages trap that quietly rewrites your intentions when an estate shrinks, per stirpes vs. per capita in plain English, and the beneficiary mistakes we see over and over — the ex-spouse still listed, the missing contingents, the minor named directly, the fifteen-year-old trust nobody reread. Then we get practical: the life-event red flags that should trigger a review, the master file your family needs (including your digital assets and passwords), the documents beyond the money — power of attorney, healthcare proxy, advance directive — and why preparing your heirs matters as much as preparing the paperwork. We close with the 10 questions to answer before you ever say "my estate plan is done."
 
What you'll learn:

• Why the beneficiary designation beats the will — and what custodians actually do when there's a dispute
• The four buckets of estate planning: will, beneficiary designations, ownership, and trusts
• The joint-account trap: why the surviving owner gets 100%, no matter what you intended
• Dollars vs. percentages: how a shrinking estate rewrites your legacy math
• Per stirpes vs. per capita — and why the company's default, not your intent, is what executes
• The mistakes we see constantly: ex-spouses still listed, deceased beneficiaries, no contingents, minors named directly
• The life-event red flags that demand a beneficiary review
• The master file: what your family needs to find, from account lists to digital passwords
• Beyond the money: power of attorney, healthcare proxy, and advance directives
• Preparing heirs emotionally and financially — why a $1M 401(k) inheritance can feel like a tax bill
• The 10 questions to answer before you say "I'm done"

Plus Money In The News:

• Moderna shares double on a successful mRNA cancer vaccine — a personalized melanoma breakthrough with Merck
• The hidden Roth conversion window through 2028: the senior deduction, the brackets, and the IRMAA trap
• National debt nears $40 trillion — and Bank of America's warning for bond investors

Want a white paper on this week's topic? Email us at info@yourmoneyontap.com and we'll send it over.
 
Read our most recent Blog Post on this topic here: https://www.fmgwebsites.com/d772de05-9833-44e4-9676-f510f85cef74/blog/be-estate-ready-the-four-buckets-your-will-doesnt-control
Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta
Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tap
 
Contact Us

• Phone: 855-226-8551
• Email: info@yourmoneyontap.com
• Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110
• Web: brayshawfinancial.com

Securities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Estate planning involves legal and tax considerations that vary by state and individual situation — coordinate with your attorney and CPA. Examples are hypothetical and for illustrative purposes only.

• How do I know if a phone call is a scam?
  Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.