Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California

Hello,

My father recently passed and left a life insurance policy and a pension behind. My sister is listed as the beneficiary on the life insurance, but there is no beneficiary listed on the pension. What will happen with his pension? Does the fact that she is listed as the beneficiary on the life insurance policy automatically entitle her to the pension as well? Are we able to sign an affidavit in order to receive the money? There will be no probate process due to his small estate. My sister and I are the only heirs.

Also, since my sister is listed as the beneficiary on life insurance policy, does that mean that I have no legal right to the money? My father intended for the money to be divided among us equally.


Asked on 11/12/09, 4:01 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Scott Linden Scott H. Linden, Esq.

Providing your father has no other issue, then the pension should pass to you both equally. Because life insurance is paid after a person's passing, it is never actually part of their estate. Therefore, it is not subject to Probate and passes to the named beneficiary. Unfortunately, if your father's wish was for the money to be divided equally, he should have named you both as beneficiaries with 50-50 shares. Because he did not, the money does pass entirely to your sister. One potential issue is timing. If the policy was created prior to your birth, you might have an argument that you were unintentionally left out, but it is still a difficult hill to climb.

If you would like to discuss this matter further in a more private forum, please feel free to contact me directly at the email address provided by LawGuru or through our firm�s website located at PasadenaEstatePlanning.com

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Answered on 11/17/09, 5:22 pm


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