If you’ve ever opened an IRA, CD or brokerage account — or bought an annuity, life insurance policy or shares of a mutual fund — you’ve been asked to name a beneficiary, or a person who will inherit ...

Some financial assets, like bank accounts and retirement portfolios, are designed to pass from one person to another. This designated recipient is known as a “beneficiary,” meaning that you have named ...

Joint owners or beneficiaries of the deceased person's account can work with the bank directly to access the funds. If the account becomes part of the owner's estate, the legally designated executor ...