The form that quietly overrides your will

Retirement accounts, life insurance and many transfer-on-death registrations pass directly to whoever is named on the account. The will does not govern them, and a carefully drafted estate plan cannot correct a contradictory designation.

Because these forms are completed at account opening and rarely revisited, they can reflect a marriage that has ended, a person who has died, or a family that has changed shape.

Contingent beneficiaries are the other common omission. Without one, an asset can end up in probate — the exact outcome the designation was meant to avoid.

Reviewing every designation across every account is a short exercise with disproportionate consequences. It is usually the first thing an estate attorney asks to see.