When many people think of life insurance, they think of purchasing a policy that will benefit their loved ones after they pass. But have you ever considered purchasing a life insurance policy on another person who you are financially dependent on? If you buy a policy to insure another person’s life that means you will be the beneficial owner, and will receive the benefits after the insured person dies; in order to purchase a policy and get the benefits, though, you will have to prove an insurable interest in, or financial dependency on, the insured person. Before you decide to buy a policy, you need to understand what insurable interest is, and know how you will have to prove it.
What Is Insurable Interest?
When it comes to purchasing life insurance, you can’t take a life insurance policy out on just anyone: if you want to buy a life insurance policy on someone else and be considered the beneficiary, you have to be able to show an insurable interest in that person, which means that you would experience a financial loss or other hardship in the event of that person’s death. A good example of people with insurable interest in each other would be spouses wanting to protect themselves from loss of income, or business partners wanting to protect their business from financial loss.
Proving Insurable Interest
Before a life insurance company will allow you to purchase coverage on another person, they will take steps to verify insurable interest, which will usually include requesting identification from the people involved and conducting a phone interview. During this phone interview, the insurer will ask about the relationship between the beneficiary and the insured, because you can only take policies out on certain people. Relationships that guarantee insurable interest are:
- Certain essential employees– You can prove that you have an insurable interest in employees who are considered executives, such as the CEO or president of your company, or your business partners, because if they were to pass away your business would experience a loss of profits. Purchasing what is known as business life insurance is common practice.
- Immediate family members– It is easy to prove insurable interest in parents, children, siblings, grandparents, and spouses.
- Debtors– Creditors can ensure debtors, as long as the debtor consents to the coverage.
Other Relationships
As stated above, insurable interest is easy to prove for immediate family members and people who you have a business relationship with; it is harder to prove an insurable interest in other people and, unless you have proof of financial dependence, you will have a much harder time insuring:
- Aunts and uncles
- Cousins
- Nieces and nephews
- Stepchildren and stepparents
Insurable interest protects the insured, as well as the insurance company, from insurance fraud, so when applying for a policy, you will have to prove your relationship to the insured, and that you are at risk of financial loss if the insured passes away.
If you are looking for a life insurance policy, either for yourself or someone that you are financially dependent on, know that there are many different kinds of policies to choose from, like whole life insurance, term life insurance, and final expense insurance. If you’re not sure where to begin looking for a policy, consider using online tools, or speaking with an agent. The right policy for you is out there! We have provided the top insurance companies that offer life insurance policies below; each can give you hassle-free assistance and the most competitive rates in the nation. Always check multiple sites to make sure you have bargaining power and know the advantages of each company. Make sure a hard time isn’t made harder by a financial burden, check life insurance rates today.