If you are visiting our beneficiary assistance page, we are so sorry you are here. We know that this is a sad and stressful time for you, but hope this information will help make the task easier. There are a lot of decisions to be made at this time, so be sure to seek the counsel of a trusted advisor to help you with the process. Think about which tasks you can hand off to those who are ready to help.

Where do I start?

There are a few tasks that you must take care of immediately, such as funeral arrangements, and some tasks that can wait until after the funeral. It will be helpful to have these documents at hand to complete a lot of the final arrangements:

Planning the funeral

If your loved one did not make previous arrangements, then you will need to bring together key family members and find a funeral director who will guide you through this planning process. Some things to consider:

An average cost of a funeral is $7,000 to $10,000. The funeral director may require that a portion of the death benefit from the deceased's life insurance policy be assigned to the funeral home. The beneficiary will be asked to sign an assignment form, which will guarantee that the funeral expense will be paid from the death benefit.

 

Checklist of things to do

Sources for possible additional benefits

Other reminders