One can certainly make the beneficiary their estate. I do not recommend it. The proceeds can be tied up in a probate and in some cases taxed along with assets. It is much cleaner and beneficial to name a beneficiary versus leaving it to an estate. Always seek the advise of a good estate planning attorney in your state.
Life insurance will not go into your estate unless you name the estate as beneficiary, or if all of the beneficiaries named on your policy are deceased. Therefore, your policy will not have to go through probate. However, if you are the last spouse to die, and if the proceeds of your policy push the value of your estate over 5.35 million dollars, estate taxes will need to be paid on your estate on the excess over 5.35M (in 2014).
Living Debt Free & Truly Wealthy, The found money specialist, United States
One of the benefits of life insurance is a tax free death benefit to the beneficiary. The beneficiary does not have to worry about creditors, probate, and nobody has to know your the one who received the insurance funds.
Life insurance is a great addition to your portfolio. Debt and taxes are usually the biggest concerns a family will go through when a love one passes away. But the best thing we can do is prepare for the future.
Their are several life insurance products that can give you the best estate planning advantages.
Are you thinking about leaving money to a charity, church, grand children, non for profits.
Learn about all the tax advantages that are available to you.
Agent Owner, Gilmore Insurance Services, Marysville, Washington State
Does life insurance money go into an estate? Well, it can if that's what the policy owner wants. Most life insurance policies have a stated beneficiary who would receive the proceeds outside of the estate and probate. One seldom thought of aspect of life insurance ownership is that for estate tax purposes the death benefit is valued as an asset for the policy owner. So it is possible for life insurance to be counted as part of an estate unless ownership is elsewhere, like an insurance trust for example.
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Life insurance is a great addition to your portfolio. Debt and taxes are usually the biggest concerns a family will go through when a love one passes away. But the best thing we can do is prepare for the future.
Their are several life insurance products that can give you the best estate planning advantages.
Are you thinking about leaving money to a charity, church, grand children, non for profits.
Learn about all the tax advantages that are available to you.