By Dan Theron

Life insurance beneficiaries are people you name in your policy which will receive a death benefit if you should die. If you choose not to name a beneficiary, then a death benefit will be paid out to your estate. This article takes a fast look at the beneficiaries of life insurance policies.

Life insurance is used for the purpose of providing a payment of money after the death of the person who was insured by the policy. The insured person is mentioned in the policy as being the person covered by it. The money payment from the policy in the event of the passing away of the insured is called the death benefit. It is paid out to beneficiaries mentioned in the policy contract.

What is a beneficiary?

This person is nominated in a life assurance policy contract to receive the death benefit. You are able to nominate a single person or more, a trustee, a charity or just your estate.

There are basically two types of beneficiaries. They are a primary and a contingent nomination. The primary person receives a death benefit if she can be contacted after your death. In case the primary person cannot be found, then the contingent person will receive the death benefit. If both are missing the benefit is paid to your estate.

The beneficiaries of your life insurance policy should be clearly identified to prevent possible confusion. You can include a social security number for each relevant person you name. Provide full names of the people you choose.

There are more types of beneficiaries as well. Let us take a look at them.

Final beneficiary — This person or entity will receive a death benefit if they outlive the other ones. This level is usually reserved for aunts and uncles or a charity of your choice.

Multiple beneficiaries — When choosing multiple individuals to receive the death benefit, it is important to state clearly how much each individual should get.

Many married people choose to name their spouse as a primary beneficiary. Be mindful when choosing to name an executor, creditor, or a minor to receive a life insurance policy death benefit.

It is important to regularly update your policy information with regards to the beneficiaries. This is especially important after events such as a divorce or child birth.

Be mindful of these tips to help you with life insurance beneficiaries.

* Designate both primary and contingency persons.

* Provide their full name and state their relationship to you.

* Clearly define how the death benefit is to be divided between the beneficiaries.

You should be certain to buy enough life insurance for your particular needs. You should also match the duration of the policy to your individual needs. Buy life insurance when you are healthy since this will ensure a lower premium.

The beneficiary receives a face value of the policy if the policyholder dies within the specified duration of a policy. If the insured person survives this period, then the beneficiaries may receive no benefit. This is the old motive for murder you regularly see on murder mysteries on television. In the case of whole life insurance, this is less of a problem since they stay in force for up to 100 years of age.

About the Author: Copyright 2008 – Dan Theron.

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