What to do if a life insurance policy does not list a beneficiary?
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What to do if a life insurance policy does not list a beneficiary?
My dad just recently passed and he had a life insurance policy through his job but he did not
name a beneficiary. I am an only child. What do I need to do?
Asked on February 12, 2018 under Estate Planning, Georgia
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
If there is no beneficiary named, the proceeds should go into his estate. If they do into his estate--his general "pool" (for want of a better word) of assets left behind when he died--they will be distributed as indicated by his will (if he had one) or by your state's rules for "intestate succession," or who gets what when there is no will--which, if you are an only child and your father was not married at time of death, will be you. However, if they go through his estate rather than directly to you as named beneficiary, then if he died with lots of bills or creditors, it's possible his creditors could get part or all of the proceeds, since creditos of a deceased have recourse against his estate.
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