Settlement Options: Decision How to Receive Death Benefit

Settlement options provide the beneficiary or policyholder of a life insurance policy with choices on how the death benefit will be paid out. The policy owner can select an option before their death, or the beneficiary can choose how they wish to receive the funds after the insured’s death. The suitability of each option varies based on the beneficiary’s financial needs. The five main settlement options are:

Lump Sum

The beneficiary receives the entire death benefit as a one-time cash payment immediately following the insured’s death.

Interest Income

The beneficiary opts to receive only the annual interest earned on the death benefit. For instance, if the death benefit is $100,000 at a 4 percent interest rate, the beneficiary would receive $4,000 annually. The original $100,000 principal remains untouched, continuing to earn interest until the beneficiary’s death, at which point it becomes part of their estate.

Income of a Specific Amount

The beneficiary receives a predetermined annual income from the death benefit until both the principal and interest are depleted. For example, a $100,000 death benefit at 4 percent interest could provide an annual income of $15,000 for about eight years.

Income for a Specific Period

The beneficiary receives annual income from the death benefit for a set number of years. This option is suitable for beneficiaries with time-bound financial needs, such as a widow with young children who may need income for 18 years. The insurance company calculates an annual income that evenly distributes the entire benefit, including interest, over the chosen period.

Income for Life

The beneficiary chooses to receive a lifetime income from the death benefit. The insurance company determines an annual payment amount based on the beneficiary’s life expectancy, ensuring the funds last for the beneficiary’s expected lifetime.

Default to the lump sum. The other four options are the carrier managing your beneficiary’s money at a credited rate it sets, and the interest is taxable to them (only the death benefit itself is excluded) — a beneficiary who takes the lump sum and invests it in a three-fund portfolio keeps both the spread and the control. The exception is a beneficiary who should not be handed seven figures: a minor, someone with a disability, someone with a gambling or addiction problem, or a spouse in acute grief. For those cases the right instrument is a trust with a competent trustee (section “Life Insurance Workaround”), not the insurer’s settlement menu — the trust can adapt as circumstances change and the settlement option cannot.