Ways to Locate a Lost Life Insurance Policy
Life insurance is one of the most economical ways to protect your family, reduce estate taxes, or fund charitable giving bequests. However, since life insurance policies can be purchased years and often decades before a claim is filed, there is plenty of time to have misplaced the policy itself over the years.
Below are 15 ways to help locate a lost life insurance policy whether it is your own or that of a beloved individual who has passed.
Search Files – Life insurance policies can get buried in old filing cabinets, desks, and storage boxes. Searching your files is often the best place to start.
Public Records – Check the public records of the individual for such events like divorce or probate as a life insurance policy may have been made a part of the proceeding.
Check the Mail – Premium invoices, quarterly statements, and annual notices are common documents that are still sent via the USPS.
Contact Advisors – Contact accountants, attorneys, and financial planners who may have provided guidance in purchasing the life insurance policy.
Safe deposit boxes – Life insurance is a valuable financial instrument, and many people will store them in safe deposit boxes along with other important documents.
Contact Employers – Reach out to both the most recent and prior employers. It is common for many employees to take employee offered life insurance coverage with them when they leave but the employer will still have a record.
Review Tax Returns – Certain life insurance purchases may have allowed for a tax deduction. Additionally, if cash was pulled out of a whole or variable life insurance policy, there may have been a taxable event recorded.
Check Bank Statements – If the insurance was a term life policy or a permanent policy not yet paid up, chances are premiums have been paid in the last year.
Search Online Databases – There are two national online databases where a life insurance policy may have its record stored include the MIB Underwriting Group and the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator Service.
Hire a Private Search Firm – For those short on time or resources, you can hire private search firms (for a fee) who can help track down lost life insurance policies.
Contact Insurance Departments – Insurance is governed at the state level and most states keep substantial databases of life insurance transactions.
Check State Unclaimed Property Office – Permanent life insurance policy which goes unclaimed may find its way into one of the more than two dozen state unclaimed property offices.
Check With Other Insurance Companies – Contact homeowners and automobile insurance companies where coverage had been placed in the past as they may be the company from whom the life insurance was purchased from.
Contact Member Associations – If the insured was a member of a trade, military, union, or other association, contact a representative to learn if a life insurance policy was purchased.
A lost life insurance policy does not mean all is lost. Life insurance policies are contracts and even if the physical document cannot be found, if you know who the insurance company is, usually all that may be required to start the claims process is the individual’s name, social security number, and date of birth.
Featured Blogs
- Aging and Our Body’s Ability to Heal Itself
- Keeping Health Insurance After a Layoff
- Waking Up to the Impact of Insomnia
- How Life Insurance Benefits Women
- What experts say about raising the retirement age
- Coverage for healthcare treatment denied? Here’s what you can do.
- Sharing the Road with Cyclists
- Buying Life Insurance for an Elderly Parent?
- Medicaid Unwinding: Your Questions Answered
- Living Your Best Life After 60
- Buying Health Insurance: A Millennial’s Guide
- Self-Love Ideas for Valentine’s Day
- Life Without Clutter
- Set Yourself Up for Success with Your Fitness Routine
- Winter Hydration – Do I Need It?
- I’m 60+; Do I Need Life Insurance?
- Why Do I Keep Breaking My New Year’s Resolutions?
- Closing Out the Year with a Smile!
- How to Enjoy a Long Layover
- 6 Cold Weather Safety Tips
- 10 Tips for Managing Cholesterol Levels
- How Much Life Insurance Do You Need Right Now?
- 3 Top Tips for Better Posture
- Building Bone Density for Seniors
- Living Outside Your Comfort Zone in Retirement
- 3 Top Habits that Lead to a Happy Life After Retirement
- Should You Insure Your Gifts?
- Everything You Need to Know When Retiring Under 65
- 7 Benefits of Slow Travel
- Utilizing Medicare Preventative Services
- The Harsh Reality of Credit Card Fees
- Keeping Your Health Insurance Affordable
- 7 Tips to Weather Challenging Periods in Your Life
- What is a Variable Annuity? 4 Key Details You Should Know
- 4 of the Best Ways to Stay Healthy this Summer
- How to Prevent Sun Damage to Your Eyes
- 3 Tips for Safer Grilling
- When the Sun is NOT Your Friend (What You Need to Know about Sun Exposure)
- Tips to Avoid Stress Eating
- Common Exercise Pains – How to Work Past Them and When to Call for Help
- Signs Your Identity Has Been Stolen (and what to do about it)
- How Does Inflation Affect Life Insurance?
- Know the Benefits of Walking
- Do Brain Food Supplements Really Work?
- Ways You Can Spend Less on Gas
- What Are Alternatives if LTC isn’t Right for You?
- 4 Tips for a Less Stressful Summer
- Veteran and Medicare Benefits Work Together
- What are the Safest States From Natural Disasters?
- How to Choose an In-Home Care Provider for Your Loved One in 5 Steps
- 7 Myths About Your Back Pain
- 5 Foods that Will Help Keep Your Mind Healthy
- Don’t Throw Away Those Used Coffee Grounds
- I’m 50 Years Old. Should I Keep My Life Insurance?
- How to Spot Government Imposters
- 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Life Insurance Policy
- Happiness Through Healthy Food
- 5 Step Checklist to Choosing a Health Insurance Plan
- 5 Creative Spring Décor Ideas
- 10 Ways to Maintain Healthy Joints
- 3 Incredible Healthcare Smart Technologies Coming Your Way
- Do I Need a Long-Term Care Plan?
- Senior Diet: To Meat or Not to Meat
- How to Take Care of Your Personal Intangible Assets
- Dream All-Inclusive Trips to Escape the Cold
- How to Get Health Insurance if You’re a Freelancer
- Safety Tips for Driving in Winter
- Ways to Locate a Lost Life Insurance Policy
- Critical Times in Life that You Need Life Insurance
- Giving and Forgiving
- Why Buy Life Insurance on Children
- Things We Are Grateful for This Year
- What to Avoid When Switching to Medicare from the Public Health Exchange
- How to Host a Successful Virtual Holiday Party
- Is One of These Factors Keeping You from Seeking Life Insurance?
- Who Invented Insurance Anyway?
- Common Senior Micronutrient Deficiencies
- The Art of Aging Well
- Insure What? Celebrity Body Parts Insured
- Using HSAs in Your Retirement Planning
- 6 Strange Insurance Policies You Can Buy
- How Valuable Is Cash Value Life Insurance?
- Mistakes You Can Make When Exercising at Home
- Why You Should Never Lie to the Underwriter
- Forget Salad Recipes, Try a Salad “Matrix”
- Will My Life Insurance Policy Cover Me If Something Happens While Traveling?
- I’ve Been Denied a Life Insurance Policy. Now What?
- Bucket List Ideas and Why It’s Important
- Getting Fit Before the Medical Exam
- The Basics of Insurance APIs
- 8 Gas Savings Tips During Summer
- How to Stay Hydrated During the Summer Season
- Safety Tips for Outdoor Barbecues
- What You Don’t Know About Senior Fitness
- The Last Guide to Chair Yoga You’ll Ever Need
- Sleep Care is the New Self-Care
- Tips for Making Dinnertime Special
- 7 Ways to Improve the Quality of Life of Seniors You Care About
- Ways to Get the Best Health Care
- Adapt Your Home for Safe Mobility
- Why Gardening is Good for Your Health