Q: My husband changed his retirement beneficiary to his daughter.. we are married for 17 years. Who gets the money?
A: If the retirement account was an IRA, his daughter gets the money as primary beneficiary even if the account was community property, because spousal consent is not required to setup or change a beneficiary designation on a traditional or Roth IRA account. If the retirement account was a current 401(k), spousal consent would have been required under ERISA to name anyone other than the spouse as primary beneficiary of the account.
Yelena Gurevich agrees with this answer
3 users found this answer helpful
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
