Updating beneficiaries, wills and powers of attorney

You’ve heard the horror stories – a woman dies suddenly, and instead of her life insurance and retirement benefits going to her husband or children, they are passed to an ex-husband from long ago. How would your family feel if the financial help you meant for them was given to someone else? Making sure you update your beneficiaries is usually fairly easy to do, but it’s something oftentimes forgotten until it’s too late.

If you have a life insurance policy or retirement account, make sure you review your beneficiary designations often, and update them if necessary, as permitted by your policy.

And while you’re looking at your beneficiaries, it may also be a good time to review your will and any power of attorney for property to make sure your wishes for your assets are clear in the event of your death or disability. If you don’t have a will or power of attorney, you should consult with a lawyer.

If you have life insurance or an annuity/retirement account through Horace Mann Life Insurance Company, you can find out your beneficiary designations by logging in to My Account from our website. If you need to make changes to your life insurance beneficiaries, you can also start the process by contacting a Customer Contact Center representative at 800-999-1030. Note: you will need to complete a beneficiary change request form.