Anyone Can Dispute Your Life Insurance Policy | Stephanie Prestridge

A life insurance payout is supposed to be the easy part of an estate. A lawyer who does nothing but denies claims explains why it so often isn't. In this episode, Stephie Prestridge, an attorney and cofounder of Life Claim, a firm devoted exclusively to denied, delayed, and disputed life insurance and accidental death claims, joins host Niki Weiss to explain what actually stops a policy from paying, why a will does not control your life insurance, and how a single dropdown menu on a benefits form can cost a family everything. CHAPTERS 0:00 Meet Stephie Prestridge 0:53 From estate planning to denied life insurance claims 3:17 Anyone can dispute a life insurance policy 4:00 The two year contestability period and the medical review 5:00 Why the medical reason does not have to relate to the death 5:46 Employer policies and how domestic partner gets defined 7:47 Who she represents, and who she never represents 8:46 When a family is told their person's life had no worth 9:57 Death and money change people 10:27 If you know your family is fractured and you leave a mess 11:00 The caregiver who gave ten years and the siblings who did not 13:19 The cost that is not financial 16:23 Reflect, decide, document, execute, communicate, iterate 17:16 Your will does not control your life insurance 17:50 Somebody has to know the policy exists 18:48 Where the policy lives and who holds the key 19:23 Privacy versus leaving your family a map 19:51 Review every five years, and update beneficiaries the right way 21:20 The policy that was supposed to pay for itself 22:25 Hard copy, digital copy, and who to trust with it 23:00 A treasure map, not the treasure 24:41 When the funeral home says it will not accept the policy 26:18 The dropdown menu that started at zero percent 28:17 The man who typed his own name as the beneficiary 29:46 Unclaimed assets versus disputed assets 30:24 Policies from insurance companies that no longer exist 31:33 A game of attrition 32:39 Two things to do today WHAT YOU WILL LEARN - That anyone can dispute a life insurance policy, and what that dispute sets in motion - What the two year contestability period allows an insurer to look for - Why what you write in your will has no effect on who receives your life insurance - How an online benefits form can quietly leave a named beneficiary with nothing - The difference between an unclaimed policy and a disputed one, and why families give up on both Live fully, die ready. Start your plan and take the free assessment: https://finalplaybook.com/main-page LISTEN TO THE PODCAST Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/death-and-dying-in-the-digital-age/id1775499012 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2MQkOgvyPQnLEz1fO9BHkY Subscribe: @DigitalLegacyPodcast FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/endevo_digitallegacy/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@endevo_digitallegacy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/endevo.digitallegacy Download the My Final Playbook app: Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/my-final-playbook/id6791298756 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=endevo.life.finalplaybook #deathanddyinginthedigitalage #ENDevo #digitallegacy #myfinalplaybook Disclaimer: This channel is for educational purposes only and does not provide medical, legal, or financial advice. Views expressed by the host and guests are their own. Always consult qualified professionals before making decisions. The channel is not responsible for actions taken based on its content. Re-uploads or ANY use of our content is prohibited.