My (M/35) step-dad (M/74) passed away last month. Back in 2009, when my parents were seperated, he submitted me as the primary beneficiary to his retirement account were he to pass. The next year, my parents got back together, but he kept me as the primary beneficiary throughout the years. He had a stroke in mid-2021 and had to retire, but when he resubmitted paperwork, he had seemingly mistakenly listed her as the primary benificiary (my wife and I believe the stroke made him forget, plus we think she might have assisted him filling out the new retirement form ans had him sign off on it). The newly submitted form had an invalid technicality though, and the retirement company tried to reach out to him or them to correct it or else I would still receive the funds. My step-dad never told my mom, so when I explained this to her, she did not handle it well to say the very least. But I didnt do anything wrong. My step dad promised me this over the years, and I have my own family to take care of, so I need this money. Also, they were never really transparent with me when it comes to their finances, so I wouldnt know this would cause issues.