The Passing-On Blog
Protecting what you leave behind
Clear, practical guides on wills, estate planning and digital inheritance — so your family is never left guessing.
What Is a Contingent Beneficiary?
A contingent beneficiary is your backup — they inherit only if your primary beneficiary cannot. What they do, when they matter, and why leaving one blank is risky.
6 min readBeneficiariesWhat Happens to Your 401(k) When You Die?
Your 401(k) passes to whoever is named on the beneficiary form, not in your will. What a spouse can do, the 10-year rule for everyone else, and the tax traps.
7 min readEstate PlanningWhich Accounts Avoid Probate?
Some accounts reach your family in days; others are frozen for months. Which accounts skip probate, which do not, and how to move more into the fast lane.
6 min readBeneficiariesHow to Find an Old 401(k)
Left a 401(k) behind at an old job? Here are the free government and industry databases that will find it, in the order most likely to work.
6 min readEstate PlanningWhat Is an Estate Account?
An estate account is the bank account an executor opens to collect and pay out a deceased person’s money. When you need one, how to open it, and what flows through it.
5 min readBeneficiariesWhat Is a Beneficiary? A Plain-English Guide
A beneficiary is the person or organisation you name to receive an account when you die. The types, how designations beat your will, and the mistakes that cost families.
7 min readEstate PlanningPower of Attorney vs Will: The Difference
A will and a power of attorney do opposite jobs, and you need both. The difference in plain English — and why one stops the moment the other starts.
5 min readEstate PlanningWhat Is Probate and How Long Does It Take?
Probate is how an estate is legally settled after a death. What the process involves, how long it really takes, what it costs, and how to speed it up.
6 min readEstate PlanningHow to Find Unclaimed Money and Inheritance
Billions in unclaimed money is waiting on families to claim it. Where to search free, what counts as unclaimed, and how to keep your estate off the list.
5 min readCryptocurrencyWhat Happens to Your Crypto When You Die?
Roughly 20% of all Bitcoin is lost forever, much of it because owners died without leaving recovery details. How to pass crypto on without risking it now.
6 min readDigital EstateThe Digital Estate Planning Checklist (2026)
A checklist covering online accounts, crypto, photos and subscriptions — so nothing you built online dies with you. Free to copy, print and work through.
6 min readWillsHow to Write a Will: A Free Step-by-Step Guide
A step-by-step guide to executors, beneficiaries and witnesses — plus the common mistakes that make a will invalid, and how to write yours free today.
7 min readEstate PlanningWhat Happens to Your Bank Account When You Die?
Your bank accounts are frozen the moment the bank learns of a death. Here is what happens to the money, who can claim it, and how long it actually takes.
6 min read