If a brokerage account has no beneficiaries, must it go to probate? | NC

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Q: If a brokerage account has no beneficiaries, does it have to go through probate before it can be transferred? A: Usually, yes—if the account was owned only in the deceased person’s name and there is no transfer on death beneficiary listed on the brokerage’s official records, the account typically becomes an estate asset. That means the person handling the estate generally has to open the…