Question about beneficiaries?

In California, in order to have a non-spouse be the beneficiary, the spouse must sign the form. So you can do it, but you cannot leave it to all to your lover unless your spouse agrees.

GA @zenvelo . The same is true for most states, the form is must be signed by the spouse to “give away” their benefits.

I’ll third that! I know that in Ohio, if you have an IRA and want to name a non-spousal beneficiary, you must have the spouse’s signed consent on the beneficiary form.

States each have their own rules, but usually the spouse must agree. I believe since California is a community property state, each spouse already owns everything equally, so when one dies, the other becomes the sole owner.