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Home > Law Advice > Life Insurance Law > Name Beneficiary
Life Insurance Law
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Can I name any beneficiary I choose?

Generally yes, both with an existing policy (unless you have given up that right, perhaps in connection with a divorce decree) and a new policy.

It is not necessary for the beneficiary to have an insurable interest in the life of the insured. For example, you may wish to buy a life insurance policy naming your college or a buddy as beneficiary. (Of course, if your buddy is a known mob "hit man", the life insurance company may not want to issue a new policy.)

Where a person ostensibly buys a policy on his own life, names an appropriate beneficiary, and then promptly changes the beneficiary and "assigns" the policy to someone without an insurable interest, there is always the possibility that it was part of a scheme to avoid the insurable interest rules, which may render the policy voidable.

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Related FAQs

Are there any limitations on what an insurance company can charge for insurance?

Can an insurance company cancel my policy for any reason it chooses?

Can I cancel my policy at any time and will there be a penalty?

What is an ‘insurable interest’?

What am I required to do when I have a claim?

What factors are considered in individual life insurance underwriting?

Is a physical exam needed?

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Can I buy a policy on someone else's life? What is an ‘insurable interest’?

Can I name any beneficiary I choose?

What happens if the insured person dies?

Do I need a lawyer to help me file a death claim?

Can a life insurance company deny a claim on a valid policy if the insured dies?

What are ‘exclusions’ and ‘limitations’ and how do they affect my life insurance coverage?

Why are life insurance companies regulated by the government?

Can an insurance company refuse to sell me insurance for any reason it chooses?

Life insurance seems complicated -- what are the basics?

What is a life insurance policy?

What problems might we run into when filing a death claim?

What if the insured lied about a heart attack?

What if the insured lied about his age?

What if the insured lied about his smoking?

Who regulates them?

What is individual life insurance?

If I miss a premium payment and get a cancellation notice, is there anything I can do to be able to keep the policy?

If I think certain words in my policy mean something different from what my insurance company says they mean, how do we resolve it?

I am pretty sure that my deceased grandmother had a life insurance policy, but I have no paperwork or other record. Is there a way that I can find out?

Should a minor child be named as a beneficiairy of life insurance proceeds?

I have a large term-life policy in which my sister and brother-in-law are sole beneficiaries. On my behalf, they are paying the annual premium. Are there any tax consequences if they remain (1) beneficiaries or (2) joint owners of the policy? Is it necessary to inform the insurance company that my beneficiaries are paying the premium?

I was denied life insurance recently because, as a minor, I had been committed for attempted suicide. That incident occurred a number of years earlier. Can the company after a lapse of so many years use mental health as a reason to deny my application?

Life insurance companies do a process called ‘underwriting’. What does that entail?

My mom is applying for a life insurance policy for my father who, up until now, has been the picture of health. A recent medical examination however showed an inoperable growth, which may be cancerous. What happens if my mom lies on the medical questions?

Related Information
» General Life Insurance Questions
» Life Insurance Articles
» Beneficiaries
» Buying life insurance
» Cancellation
» Eligibility
» Exclusions and limitations
» Death claims
» Government regulation
» Physical examination
» Rates
» Tracking down missing policy and benefits
» Types of life insurance

Topics Related To Life Insurance Law
» Insurance Law
» Auto Insurance
» Business Insurance
» Long Term Care
» Disability Insurance
» Health Insurance
» Insurers Bad Faith
» Life Insurance Law
» Property Insurance
» Viaticals
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