- Tax Planning
- Investments 1: Before you Invest
- Investments 2: Your Investment Plan
- Investments 3: Securities Market Basics
- Investments 4: Bond Basics
- Investments 5: Stock Basics
- Investments 6: Mutual Fund Basics
- Investments 7: Building Your Portfolio
- Investments 8: Picking Financial Assets
- Investments 9: Portfolio Rebalancing and Reporting
- Retirement 1: Basics
- Retirement 2: Social Security
- Retirement 3: Employer Qualified Plans
- Retirement 4: Individual and Small Business Plans
- Estate Planning Basics
- Introduction
- Understand the Principles of Estate-Planning
- Understand the Importance of Estate Planning and the Goals of Estate Planning
- Understand the Estate-Planning Process
- Know How Trusts Can Be Used to Your Advantage in Estate Planning
- Understand the Importance of Wills and Probate Planning
- Summary
- Assignments
2. Pass Property at Death According to Your Desires
There are four ways to designate the way that property should be divided after you die:
- Will: A will does not transfer property—it only indicates where you want the property to be transferred—so the property must be probated, or passed on according to law.
- Law: Put simply, you can allow the state to write your will. This will does not transfer property either, so the property must be probated as well.
- Contract or life insurance: Contracts bypass the probate process.
- Trust: These transfer property during life but do not make a complete gift until you die.
