The short answer
You don't have to pick in a hurry. Claiming is usually simple: a form and a certified copy of the death certificate.
How the money is paid out is a real choice, and some choices may be hard to undo once you sign. Ask what each option means, in writing, before you sign anything.
This chapter explains how things usually work in the United States. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and the rules where you live may differ. Before you act on anything here, check it with one of the people named at the end of the chapter.
What to do
- List every policy you know of, with the company and the policy number.
- Search the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator for any you don't know of.
- Ask each insurer for the claim forms and a claim number.
- Send a certified copy of the death certificate with each claim, if the insurer asks for one.
- Ask what each payout option means, and get the answers in writing.
- Choose only when you understand the option, and take it to an adviser first if the sum is large.
- Keep copies of everything you send, with the date you sent it.
What can wait
- Deciding where the money goes for the long term. The chapter What should I not decide yet? covers that, and the people who will push you to decide sooner.
- Spending, lending or investing any of the payout.
- Choosing a payout option, until you have every option explained in writing. If a letter from the insurer gives a date, call and ask what happens after it.
Who can help
The insurer's claims department can tell you what it needs and where your claim stands. Your state insurance department, found through the NAIC, takes complaints about unfair delays or denials, free.
For a policy you can't find, the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator is free. For help choosing a payout, the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors has a search for fee-only financial planners at napfa.org. A helper, or a librarian at your public library, can run either search with you.
The rules, phone numbers and web addresses in this book were checked against the agencies’ own pages in October 2026. They change, so check anything you rely on with the office itself.
From Book 2: The Money
This page has the short answer and the closing lists from chapter 5. The full chapter explains, in plain words, what exists, what to ask, and who can answer. The book covers months 1 to 6.
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