Be Estate Ready
Sep 4, 2026 ·
56m
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Description
"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...
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"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:
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
show less
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"
- 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
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
- Does a beneficiary designation override a will?
Yes. The beneficiary named on an account — a 401(k), IRA, life insurance policy, annuity, or transfer-on-death registration — supersedes whatever your will says. The custodian holding the asset pays the person on the beneficiary form, and absent a court order they will not read your will. That's why estate readiness means checking all four buckets: assets controlled by your will, by beneficiary designations, by joint ownership, and by trusts — and reviewing them after every major life event: marriage, divorce, birth, death, remarriage, inheritance, or retirement.
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