Welcome to Ameritrade Plus University
  Estate Planning
  Introduction
 
The details:
 

Top 10 things to know
 

Why do I need a will?
 

Living wills
 

Power of attorney
 

All about trusts
 

What's the best way to give money now?
 
Glossary
 
Take the test
 
Lessons:
1
  Setting priorities
2
  Making a budget
3
  Basics of banking
4
  Basics of investing
5
  Investing in stocks
6
  Investing in bonds
7
  Buying a home
8
  Investing in mutual funds
9
  Controlling debt
10
  Employee stock options
11
  Saving for college
12
  Kids and money
13
  Planning for retirement
14
  Investing in IPOs
15
  Asset allocation
16
  Hiring financial help
17
  Health insurance
18
  Buying a car
19
  Taxes
20
  Home insurance
21
  Life insurance
22
  Futures and options
23
  Family law
24
  Estate planning
25
  Auto insurance

|> About Money 101

investing 101

  Why do I need a will?
If you don't have one, a court decides who gets your assets

A will is a device that lets you tell the world who you want to get your assets. Die without one, and the state decides who gets what -- without regard to your wishes or your heirs' needs. If you're married with kids, typically that means your assets will be split between your surviving spouse and children. If you're single with no children, then the state is likely to decide who among your blood relatives will inherit your estate.

Making a will is especially important for people with young children, because wills are the best way to transfer guardianship of minors.

You may amend your will at any time. In fact, it's a good idea to review it periodically and especially when your marital status changes. At the same time, review your beneficiary designations for your 401(k), IRA, pension and life insurance policy since those accounts will be transferred automatically to your named beneficiaries when you die.

A will is also useful if you have a trust. A trust is a legal mechanism that lets you put conditions on how your assets are distributed after you die and it often lets you minimize gift and estate taxes. But you still need a will since most trusts deal only with specific assets such as life insurance or a piece of property, but not the sum total of your holdings.

Even if you have what's known as a revocable living trust in which you can put the bulk of your assets, you still need what's known as a pour-over will. In addition to letting you name a guardian for your children, such a will lets you ensure that all the assets you intended to put into trust are put there if you fail to retitle some of them before your death. Any assets that are not retitled in the name of the trust are considered subject to probate. As a result, if you haven't specified in a will who should get those assets, a court may decide to distribute them to heirs whom you may not have chosen.

Next: The other kind of will you should have

 
© 2003 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
An AOL Time Warner Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.