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Beneficiary & titling

How accounts transfer at death (TOD/POD, beneficiary designations, joint tenancy) and how those interact with (or override) your will.

Essentials in this category

1 option

Core foundation items — a general adult plan starts here before anything else.

Essential
Beneficiary-designation audit
DIY-doable
Beneficiary forms override wills. A typical family has 8-15 designated non-probate accounts that pass outside the will at death. Auditing them is genuinely DIY and the single highest-ROI estate-planning task for most Americans.
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Additional options

1 option

Advanced structures — consider these only after the essentials above are in place.

Additional
Tenancy by the Entirety (TBE)
DIY-doable
A form of joint ownership available only to married couples that gives creditors of one spouse no access to the TBE-held asset. Virginia and West Virginia both recognize TBE for real estate; Virginia also extends it to personal property including financial accounts.
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