Provided by William DeMarco of A&M Financial Group Inc., Westlake
Life insurance has long been recognized as a useful way to provide for your heirs and loved ones when you die. While naming your policy’s beneficiaries should be a relatively simple task, several situations can easily lead to unintended and adverse consequences. Here are several life insurance beneficiary traps you may want to discuss with a professional.
Most life insurance policies offer several options to the policy beneficiary, including:
Generally, life insurance death proceeds are not taxed when they’re paid. However, there are exceptions to this rule, and the most common situation involves having three different people as policy owners, insured and beneficiaries.
Typically, the policy owner and the insured are the same person. But sometimes the owner is not the insured or the beneficiary. For example, the mom may be the policy owner on the dad’s life for their children’s benefit. In this situation, the mom is effectively creating a gift of the insurance proceeds for her children/beneficiaries. As the donor, Mom may be subject to gift tax. Consult a financial or tax professional to figure out the best way to structure the policy.
As with most financial decisions, expenses are associated with the purchase of life insurance. Policies commonly have mortality and expense charges. In addition, if a policy is surrendered prematurely, there may be surrender charges and income tax implications. The cost and availability of life insurance depend on factors such as age, health, and the type and amount of insurance purchased.
While trusts offer numerous advantages, they incur up-front costs and often have ongoing administrative fees. The use of trusts involves a complex web of tax rules and regulations. Consider the counsel of an experienced estate planning professional and your legal and tax advisors before implementing such strategies.
