How can we find out if he had any life insurance?

A fellow caregiver asked...

My father with Alzheimer's just passed at 83 years. I had POA and I am the Trustee of his estate. (Living Trust) Since we didn't live with him until his disease was in the latter stages, many things were lost, hidden, etc. My main question is: How do we find out if he had any life insurance policies in his name? We cannot find any documentation and we have received his mail for over two years and we haven't seen anything that would indicate life insurance on him.

Expert Answer

Barbara Repa, a Caring.com senior editor, is an attorney, a journalist specializing in aging issues, and the author of Your Rights in the Workplace (Nolo), now in its 10th edition.

As you're finding out, it can be frustrating indeed to locate life insurance after a death because, for better or for worse, these insurers don't tend to communicate much once the policy is signed, sealed and delivered.

By now, you've likely looked in the usual spots for a policy: file cabinets, desk drawers, safe deposit box.

Look through canceled checks. Many older people, even those who didn't keep tidy or meaningful records, retain boxes of bank statements or old checks. Even a check that's decades old and no good for any other purpose may provide the missing link to a life insurance company.

Contact former employers and any union to which your father belonged. These are the most common sources providing free or low-cost life insurance"”and the survivors who become beneficiaries are often surprised to learn about the policies years later.

Finally, consider paying a service to look for you. For example, MIB Solutions is one company that searches millions of records to ferret out the fact of whether a person owned life insurance at death. You can find out more at www.mib.com/html/lost-life-insurance.html.