After losing a loved one, its easy for many vital details from their life to slip through the cracks. It’s possible you’re entitled to benefits from a life insurance policy that you never even knew about. You may be listed as a beneficiary and not even know about it. To figure this out, it may require a bit of detective work on your end.
In a time of grief, it may also be difficult to know what options you have available when it comes to finding out whether or not these policies even exist. Also, the benefits from these policies can be just as helpful when it comes covering funeral costs and other final expenses.
You have many resources and solutions at your disposal if you’re looking for a life insurance policy. This way you can find any hidden or otherwise forgotten about coverage.
6 Steps To Finding A Lost Life Insurance Policy
If you find yourself in this situation, you may not know where to start when trying to figure out whether or not the deceased had a life insurance policy. Thankfully, you have some options to consider so you can go down the correct path:
Ask Friends and Family:
First off, your best bet is to talk to any friends or family members who may know about whether or not the deceased may have had a policy.
Check With Their Employer:
Beyond friends and family, it may also help to check with the deceased’s employer. It’s possible that they may have had a small group life insurance policy through their job. While benefits from these group policies aren’t exactly a windfall, they will still go a long way toward covering final expenses.
Contact Other Insurers:
If the deceased had an auto or homeowner policy with one insurer, it’s possible that they also had life insurance coverage from the same provider. The same goes for if they are still receiving mail from an insurance company following their death. It is even possible that the insurer doesn’t know that the insured has passed away.
Bank Statements and Tax Returns:
Along these same lines, some other helpful resources are bank statements and tax returns. Here you can see if any transactions went toward paying for a life insurance policy, or if any deductions are being taken off for income tax.
Use an Online Locator:
If all else fails, there are many online databases that can help you find a policy. Here are some of the free options available to you:
Pay a Private Search Firm:
Your true last resort is utilizing a private locating service, but those come with their own issues. Here are some reputable options to consider:
Unfortunately, there are also scammers who will take your money and never get back to you. So it pays to be careful.
After you’ve exhausted all of your options, and you still haven’t found anything, then they likely didn’t have a policy. While this is a common occurrence, it is still very worth your while to do your due diligence.
How can you receive the benefit from a lost policy?
If you ultimately find a lost policy, you may run into further questions about getting your benefits. Here’s our guide answering all of your questions about collecting life insurance benefits.
Final thoughts about searching for a life insurance policy
You have nothing to lose when it comes to seeking out a lost life insurance policy. With all of the options at your disposal, the very worst outcome is that you won’t find anything.
Otherwise, you’re likely to find at least a little bit of money. While it may not be a windfall, it can go a long way toward covering final expenses and funeral costs.
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My husband brought this website to my attention. However I already knew the six steps as to how to investigate so what if these six steps doesn’t exist what do I continue to start. I was told that the best solution is to hire an attorney so they can start their own investigation which is money I don’t have.
Hi Curtis!
Those who are listed as beneficiaries and told by the owner of the policy that it existed are the few people that would know if one existed. Unless you is the executor of the estate of the deceased, insurance companies are not required to discuss the policy with you and may require a legal document saying you are given permission to do such. In other cases, a POA MAY work.
Talking to a lawyer can help “encourage” these companies to be more forthcoming, but it is never a sure bet. Be sure to check the NAIC policy finder service to see if one exists as they are governing body over the insurance industry as a whole.
I hope this helped a little.