Beneficiary Information FAQs

You can name any person, estate*, trust**, or organization (like a charity) as a beneficiary, but you can’t name yourself as a beneficiary.

Those who rely on you for support will likely be your first choice. When you fill out your policy forms, it’s important you do so carefully so no one can question your beneficiaries’ identity.

• * “Estate” simply refers to everything you own. This includes physical things like real estate and collectibles, and nonphysical things like stocks and other investments. If you name your estate as your beneficiary, your policy payout will be added to the list of things you own and given out according to instructions you've left behind.

   

• ** A trust is a legal relationship where you select a person or people to manage your estate according to your instructions. The trust owns your life insurance policy. When you die, the trust collects the payout, pays estate taxes and other expenses that may be due, and pays out money to your beneficiaries—again, based on your instructions. Naming a trust as a beneficiary can give you more control over how payments are given out, reduce estate taxes, help you avoid delays and legal fees, help beneficiaries avoid income and estate taxes, and more.

How to review and update beneficiary information for your policy in your online service account:

• Log in at the top of our website.
• Then log in to your personal account.
• Select  'Manage my account’.
• View the Beneficiary Details section for your current beneficiary information.
• To make a change select the button to view your update options.

The policies attached to your online service account will be listed under the 'Welcome' greeting and can be identified by the policy type such as Term Insurance, Whole Life Insurance, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, Zone Income Annuity and Horizon Variable Annuity.

When you have more than one policy on your account, the first policy listed will automatically display. To display a different policy, select the policy type for that policy.

There are a few reasons why a policy may not display:

• The name or other personal information entered doesn't match what we have on record for the owner of the policy.
• The type of policy you have can't be serviced online. This includes: Universal Life, Supplemental Health and Disability Income.
• Your policy is not active.
• You recently purchased a policy that isn't online yet. Try again in 2-3 days.

If you need help with a policy you own but can't access in your online service account, please call us.

How to view and update beneficiary information for your policy in your online service account: 

• Log in at the top of our website, or under the For Individuals option select I want to...Manage my account. 
• Next log in to your personal account. 
• View the Beneficiary Details section for your current beneficiary information.
• To make a change select the button to view your update options.

Yes. When updating a beneficiary on an existing policy, you'll need to list ALL the beneficiaries you want on the policy. 

Note: When updating beneficiaries online, the option to add a contingent beneficiary will display after saving the primary beneficiary. 

• Log in to your personal account, select the ‘My account’ menu at the top of our website.
• Select 'Manage my account’.
• While viewing your current beneficiaries, select the button to view your update options.
• Select 'Update Beneficiaries Online'.  
• From the 'My beneficiary is...' drop-down menu, select 'A Trust'.
• Complete the steps and wait for final confirmation from us.
• If the trust will be established as part of your Will, when asked to provide the trust’s name in the form, you’ll want to identify it as the “Trust established under the Last Will and Testament of (your name),” dated (date of Will).

We will mail you a confirmation once your beneficiary changes have been approved and updated on your policy. When you receive this confirmation, please keep it with your policy as a record of receipt.

• Log in to your personal account.
• Select the ‘My account’ menu at the top of our website.
• Select ‘Manage my account’.
• View the Beneficiary Details section for your current beneficiary information.

Please remember it takes time for us to approve beneficiary changes and to process and mail your confirmation.

Primary beneficiaries are the first in line to receive the payments—usually your spouse, children, or other family members. In case your primary beneficiaries die before you, you can name backups, called contingent beneficiaries. If all your primary beneficiaries are no longer living when you die, your contingent beneficiaries will receive the payments.

How to view and update beneficiary information for your policy in your online service account: 

• Log in at the top of our website, or under the For Individuals option select I want to...Manage my account. 
• Next log in to your personal account. 
• View the Beneficiary Details section for your current beneficiary information.
• To make a change select the button to view your update options.

If you just updated your beneficiaries in your online service account, you may not see the update in your online account right away. But we’ll send an email to the address in your online account confirming we’ve received your request.

After you submit your beneficiary update, you can use the link at the top of the confirmation page to print a copy of your beneficiary update request. We’ll also mail this information to the address in your online account.

Once your beneficiary update is reviewed, approved, and recorded by us, it will show up in your online account.

If you don't see your policy, it may be because you have a type of policy we don't service online. *Please note: Not all policies allow beneficiaries to be updated online.

In other cases, you may not see your policy because it is not active. If you need help with your policy, select the Chat icon when logged in to your online account (chat availability varies) or give us a call.  

Primary beneficiaries are the first in line to receive the payments—usually your spouse, children, or other family members. In case your primary beneficiaries die before you, you can name backups, called contingent beneficiaries. If all your primary beneficiaries are no longer living when you die, your contingent beneficiaries will receive the payments.

You can name any person, estate*, trust**, or organization (like a charity) as a beneficiary, but you can’t name yourself as a beneficiary.

Those who rely on you for support will likely be your first choice. When you fill out your policy forms, it’s important you do so carefully so no one can question your beneficiaries’ identity.

• * “Estate” simply refers to everything you own. This includes physical things like real estate and collectibles, and nonphysical things like stocks and other investments. If you name your estate as your beneficiary, your policy payout will be added to the list of things you own and given out according to instructions you've left behind.

   

• ** A trust is a legal relationship where you select a person or people to manage your estate according to your instructions. The trust owns your life insurance policy. When you die, the trust collects the payout, pays estate taxes and other expenses that may be due, and pays out money to your beneficiaries—again, based on your instructions. Naming a trust as a beneficiary can give you more control over how payments are given out, reduce estate taxes, help you avoid delays and legal fees, help beneficiaries avoid income and estate taxes, and more.

How to review and update beneficiary information for your policy in your online service account:

• Log in at the top of our website.
• Then log in to your personal account.
• Select  'Manage my account’.
• View the Beneficiary Details section for your current beneficiary information.
• To make a change select the button to view your update options.

We will mail you a confirmation once your beneficiary changes have been approved and updated on your policy. When you receive this confirmation, please keep it with your policy as a record of receipt.

• Log in to your personal account.
• Select the ‘My account’ menu at the top of our website.
• Select ‘Manage my account’.
• View the Beneficiary Details section for your current beneficiary information.

Please remember it takes time for us to approve beneficiary changes and to process and mail your confirmation.

If you don't see your policy, it may be because you have a type of policy we don't service online. *Please note: Not all policies allow beneficiaries to be updated online.

In other cases, you may not see your policy because it is not active. If you need help with your policy, select the Chat icon when logged in to your online account (chat availability varies) or give us a call.  

In these cases, the payments will be paid out according to the instructions you’ve stated in your policy/contract.

If instructions are not stated in the policy/contract, the payments will be paid out to your estate*.

*“Estate” simply refers to everything you own. This includes physical things like real estate and collectibles, and nonphysical things like stocks and other investments. If you name your estate as your beneficiary, your policy payout will be added to the list of things you own and given out according to instructions you've left behind.

Naming minor beneficiaries is a good time to involve your own personal or legal advisors. Your advisors can show you how trusts or laws such as Uniform Transfer to Minors Acts can help you provide for minor beneficiaries.

If you die while your primary beneficiaries are still minors, the money may be given to a representative appointed by the court to hold on the minor's behalf. The court will likely choose the minor’s closest living family to be the representative, but they could pick someone else. The representative’s ability to use the payments may or may not be limited by the court, and their actions may not match your wishes for the payments.

Primary beneficiaries are the first in line to receive the payments—usually your spouse, children, or other family members. In case your primary beneficiaries die before you, you can name backups, called contingent beneficiaries. If all your primary beneficiaries are no longer living when you die, your contingent beneficiaries will receive the payments.

A disinterested witness is an adult who isn’t the owner, insured, or beneficiary of the policy.

In Massachusetts, a disinterested witness is required by law to witness you signing the form, and then sign it themselves.

This is someone who cannot be removed from your policy unless they agree to be removed. You also can’t cancel the policy unless they agree. Since this gives the beneficiary a lot of power, work with your personal advisors to get comfortable with the need to name an irrevocable beneficiary before naming one. 

To make an irrevocable beneficiary designation, please mark this on the 'Change of Beneficiary Request Form'. Please mail or fax to the address or fax number listed on the bottom of the last page of the form.

Pronounced “per-stir-peas," this term means that if one of your named beneficiaries isn’t living at the time of your death, their share of your policy payout will pass to their children.

If you wish to designate a beneficiary as per stirpes, please mark this on the 'Change of Beneficiary Request Form'. Please mail or fax to the address or fax number listed on the bottom of the last page of the form.