If you've divorced, remarried, had a child, or lost a loved one since you opened your 401(k) — the wrong person may be legally entitled to inherit it. Find out in 10 minutes.
No account numbers, passwords, or balances needed. 100% private.
These aren't hypothetical risks. They happen to real families every day — and they're completely preventable.
Under federal ERISA rules, your 401(k) will pay out to your ex-spouse regardless of your will, divorce decree, or any other document — unless you file a new beneficiary form.
Without a named beneficiary, your retirement account goes through probate and your heirs lose the ability to stretch distributions — potentially costing them tens of thousands in unnecessary taxes.
Your will leaves everything to your kids. But the beneficiary form on your IRA still names your sister. The form wins. Always.
Minors can't legally inherit directly. A court appoints a guardian for the money — expensive, slow, and probably not who you'd choose.
If your named beneficiary passed away and you never updated the form, the payout reverts to the plan's default rules — which rarely match your wishes.
What if your primary beneficiary can't receive the funds? Without a backup, you're rolling the dice on probate court.
Tell us about your life situation and select your accounts. We walk you through one account at a time with focused questions — not a wall of form fields.
Our review framework checks your designations against 14 common beneficiary problems across federal ERISA and state-specific rules. Instantly.
See your Protection Score and issues found for free. Unlock the full report with institution-specific fix instructions, phone numbers, and a downloadable PDF.
This tool applies the same beneficiary review framework used by Certified Financial Planners and estate attorneys. It checks for 14 common beneficiary problems across federal and state-specific rules.
We don't say "algorithm" or "AI" because that's not what this is. It's a systematic review of your designations against known legal and financial pitfalls.
The average American has $230,000 in retirement accounts. A single outdated beneficiary designation could send that entire amount to the wrong person. This audit costs less than one hour of the estate attorney's time you'd need to fix the mess.
No account numbers. No login. Free risk score. Full action plan from $49.
Check My Beneficiaries NowApplies the same review framework used by Certified Financial Planners and estate attorneys.