Changing beneficiary designations on life insurance polices after major life events, like divorce or re-marriage, is often overlooked or forgotten. What happens if you forget to change your beneficiary after a divorce and your first spouse is still listed when you die? Will your ex-spouse receive the life insurance proceeds? In short, the answer is no. After divorce, the designation naming your ex-spouse is no longer effective. If you have an alternate beneficiary named in the policy, the life insurance proceeds will be paid to the alternate. If no alternate was named, the insurance proceeds are payable to your estate and will be distributed according to your will or the statutory intestacy rules depending on whether or not you have a will.
What if you want your ex-spouse to receive the insurance proceeds upon your death? This can be specified in the divorce decree or you can re-designate your ex-spouse as beneficiary after the divorce is final.
Texas Family Code § 9.301
What if you want your ex-spouse to receive the insurance proceeds upon your death? This can be specified in the divorce decree or you can re-designate your ex-spouse as beneficiary after the divorce is final.
Texas Family Code § 9.301
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