When the Estate Plan and the Accounts Don't Match
Many families invest time and money in creating an estate plan, then assume the work is done. But if account titling and beneficiary designations don't match the documents, the plan may not work as intended. We make sure every piece is aligned.
A couple in their early 60s came to us after updating their wills and trusts with an attorney several years earlier. They believed their estate plan was buttoned up. But when we conducted our review, we found a different story: their revocable trust had never been funded, retirement accounts still named a deceased parent as a contingent beneficiary, and a sizable brokerage account was titled individually rather than in the trust—meaning it would have gone through probate despite all their careful planning.
Working alongside their estate attorney, we brought everything into alignment.
We helped them retitle taxable accounts and real estate into their revocable trust, ensuring those assets would pass privately and efficiently, outside of probate.
We updated primary and contingent beneficiaries across their 401(k)s, IRAs, and life insurance policies so designations matched the intentions spelled out in their documents.
We coordinated beneficiary strategies with their broader tax picture, structuring retirement account designations to give their children flexibility under current inheritance rules.
We built an annual estate review into their plan, so future account changes, job transitions, or family events never leave the estate plan out of sync again.
Today, the couple has confidence that their wishes—not outdated paperwork—will determine how their legacy is passed on.
