During a divorce, the last thing people think about is insuring the person whom they ousted from their life. In certain situations, it makes good financial sense to insure the other party. With alimony payments, courts may order spouses who pay to have life insurance policies naming the ex-spouse as the beneficiary. California and other states require the person’s consent to be named on a policy.
To get a policy, there must be an insurable interest, and there has to be a true relationship between the insurer and the insured as well as a provable loss should the insured person die. Family members, ex-spouses who are required to pay alimony or child support, and significant others are insurable, but strangers or acquaintances are not. The insured party will also have to agree to the application and may be required to have a medical exam.
It may be in one’s best interest to obtain the policy and make the payments each month. The cost for the policy can be added to the alimony or child support when the initial payments are set. This is a small price to pay to have authority and control. An angry ex-spouse who is ordered to pay alimony each month may stop paying on the policy or even change the beneficiary.
Having an insurance policy in place is a good way to ensure that alimony or child support is protected if an ex-spouse dies. The policy may also cover things like loan payments that are still in both spouses’ names or business interests if one spouse owns a company. In California, those who have questions may consult with experienced professionals who can help make the right decisions regarding alimony.
Source: usatoday.com, “Your guide to insuring someone else’s life,” Barbara Marquand, Jan. 29, 2018
