Wednesday 30 November 2011

Choosing the Beneficiary for Your Term Insurance Plan.

By David Livingston


Buying a plan doesn't start and end with gathering life insurance quote on line or in storefront. You should have a beneficiary in mind before you even think of purchasing a plan. Most of the time, you would pick a family member such as your spouse or child. However, choosing a recipient is not that easy as it seems as there are quite a few things that you have to take into account. This article will provide you tips that come in handy when it comes to making up your mind regarding how to designate a recipient to the money that you would work hard for.

Intended beneficiary - This set up requires an arrangement to have 3 parties to be in place. First there is a promisee, the second party is the promisor and finally the receiver. This type is often used on situations where the receiver is a minor. The arrangement is such that the legal guardian for the minor will keep the returns and the child in his custody until the child reaches a specific age and he would then handover it to the child. For doing so, the second and the third party are usually provided with certain benefits themselves. This set up provides additional security to the family and the insured can be rest assured that his hard earned money will be given to the family in time.

Revocable beneficiary - In this set up, the beneficiary once chosen can be changed without even having to inform the beneficiary. The power is given to the subscriber to change the beneficiary in between his term insurance. You can even terminate the plan with the benefits during the term as well. This set up is preferred by most customers for the amount of freedom the plan provides to the subscribers. Typically, term plan is for a period of 30 years and many things may happen between those periods. The insured may live longer than he anticipated and the beneficiary may not alive by the time the policy matures, etc. This set up provides you the opportunity to make amendments along the way of your live.

Purpose of getting a policy - You should understand that the person you choose will be enjoying your money as the way you wanted it to be. However, the person should not only be with good qualities, you should remember the reasons for which you have decided to purchase the insurance in the first place. This will ideally help you choose the right beneficiary for your policy. For instance, if you have purchased an insurance plan for your child's education, then choosing your child as the beneficiary makes absolute sense. You can also make your spouse as the secondary beneficiary. If it is to clear a mortgage you can opt accordingly.

Naming the beneficiary - Even if it is for universal life insurance which you may have decided to purchase, it is important that you name the beneficiary who would receive the cash benefits very clearly and upfront itself. Common mistake made by the subscribers in this aspect is not to provide clear identity of the beneficiary and worry at a later stage. Do not provide indications as Wife or Son on the application form. No would know how many wives or children you will have in your life. This will delay the proceedings further and might end up getting a delayed return to the intended beneficiary. If you want to give it to an organization or an estate, then naming that clearly is also crucial.

Legal issues of designating a kid as the recipient -appointing kids as the receiver of the benefits is definitely doable though there are definitely legal issues that it would entail. Your best bet is to consult someone professional who knows better than you do. Keep in mind that leaving a hefty amount of money to a kid can be threatening to his welfare too. You need to designate a guardian whom you trust with your life in the absence of your spouse. The guardian would handle the account until the kid reaches legal age. Make an arrangement that will also protect the kid from custodian in case the latter flips.

Choosing secondary receiver - With term life insurance no medical exam you have to choose a secondary beneficiary. There could be a scenario where the primary beneficiary dies before the policy holder. You certainly have the option to update your beneficiaries, however remember the situation could prevent you from updating it as well. By having a secondary beneficiary, you are not leaving anything to chance and doing what it takes to have your beneficiary get what they should.

Points described above will help you choose the right beneficiary for your policy and there it will enable you to have the right individual get the right benefits. Also, you must understand that real estate planning is critical. It can be vaguely compared to placing money in a box which has a hole in it.




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