@pollytatumlaw: Most Families Only Discover Their Estate Plan Had Gaps After It's Too Late!! 😟⚠️ People treat POD, TOD, wills, and trusts like they all do the same job. They don't, and mixing up which one you're actually relying on can leave real gaps your family ends up dealing with later. Here's how each one actually works: A POD, or Payable on Death, is a form you fill out at your bank that sends your account straight to the person you name when you pass. No court involvement at all. A TOD, or Transfer on Death, does the same thing for investment and brokerage accounts. Your beneficiary gets it automatically, and probate never enters the picture. Relying on a will alone means mandatory probate, and that can drag on for up to two years. Setting up POD and TOD alone moves those specific accounts quickly, but everything else you own still gets stuck in probate. Combining a trust with POD and TOD is what actually gets you the full picture: probate skipped entirely, and your family receives what you intended, not what's left after delays and legal fees. Save this before you need it.

Polly | Massachusetts Lawyer

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Thursday 17 September 2026 19:03:09 GMT