14 Life Insurance Mistakes That Cost Families Thousands

One in four life insurance policies goes unpaid after the policyholder dies because nobody knew it existed. More than $13 billion in unclaimed benefits have been recovered through a single free government tool since 2016. And that's just one of the fourteen mistakes I cover in this video. From outdated beneficiary designations to naming a minor as beneficiary to assuming your will overrides your insurance form, these are the errors that quietly cost families thousands of dollars, months of legal proceedings, or the coverage they were counting on. Most of these are fixable in under an hour. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 — Why a physician makes insurance videos 1:58 — Not telling your family the policy exists 3:45 — Outdated beneficiary designations 5:38 — Assuming your will overrides the form 7:08 — Naming a minor as beneficiary 8:32 — Naming your estate as beneficiary 9:46 — Vague beneficiary language 11:49 — Relying solely on employer coverage 13:08 — Being underinsured 14:22 — Waiting too long to buy 15:23 — Policy exclusions you didn't read 16:14 — Dishonesty on the application 17:48 — Letting a policy lapse without alternatives 19:04 — Not shopping around 19:56 — Not accounting for inflation 20:48 — Are these mistakes universal? Sources: NAIC, Insurance Information Institute, CNBC, Western & Southern, Ameritas, WAEPA, The College Investor, Texas Comptroller, U.S. Supreme Court (Egelhoff v. Egelhoff) 📌 Related: Life Insurance Explained —    • Life Insurance Costs Less Than Your Stream...   📌 Related: Life Insurance Riders Part 1 —    • 10 Life Insurance Riders Most People Don't...   📌 Related: Life Insurance Riders Part 2 —    • 6 MORE Life Insurance Riders That Could Sa...   📌 Related: The Insurance That Protects Your Legacy —    • Your Will and Trust Mean Nothing If This H...   🔔 Subscribe for more on legacy planning, insurance, and estate protection. #LifeInsuranceMistakes #BeneficiaryDesignation #DrBunchessa #LegacyPlanning #EstatePlanning #InsuranceMistakes #LifeInsuranceTips