What is a beneficiary in simple terms?

A beneficiary is a person or organization you choose to receive your assets — like money, property, or life insurance — after you pass away. You name beneficiaries in your will, financial accounts, and insurance policies.

What is the difference between a primary and contingent beneficiary?

A primary beneficiary is your first choice to receive an asset. A contingent beneficiary is your backup — they step in only if the primary beneficiary is unable or unavailable to receive it.

Does a beneficiary designation override a will?

Yes. Beneficiary designations on financial accounts and insurance policies generally take legal precedence over what your will says. That's why it's important to keep both updated and consistent.

Can I name a child as a beneficiary?

You can, but naming a minor child directly on a financial account or insurance policy can create complications. Courts may need to appoint a guardian to manage the funds. Many people instead name a trust as the beneficiary, with instructions for how the money should be used on the child's behalf.

How often should I update my beneficiaries?

It's a good idea to review your beneficiary designations every year or two, and after major life events like marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, or the death of a named beneficiary.

What Is a Beneficiary?

When people start thinking about estate planning, one word comes up almost immediately: beneficiary. It sounds formal, maybe even a little distant. But the idea behind it is simple, and deeply personal.

A beneficiary is someone you choose to receive something from you. That's it.

Who gets your savings account? Who inherits your home? Who receives the life insurance payout if something happens to you? The people you name to answer those questions are your beneficiaries. Choosing them clearly is one of the most meaningful things you can do for the people you care about.

What Is a Beneficiary?

A beneficiary is a person or organization you designate to receive assets (money, property, or other valuables) from your estate, a financial account, or an insurance policy.

You can name beneficiaries in several places: your will, your life insurance policy, your retirement accounts (like a 401(k) or IRA), bank accounts, and investment accounts. Each of those designations works a little differently, but the core idea is the same. You're leaving clear instructions about who gets what.

Primary vs. Contingent Beneficiaries

Most accounts and policies give you space to name two types of beneficiaries, and it's worth understanding both.

A primary beneficiary is your first choice. If something happens to you, they receive the asset directly.

A contingent beneficiary is your backup. If your primary beneficiary passes away before you, or can't be located, the contingent beneficiary steps in. Think of it as a second line of clarity, a way of making sure your intentions are honored even if circumstances change.

You don't have to name a contingent beneficiary, but it's generally a good idea. It closes a gap that can otherwise leave families in a difficult position.

Who Can Be a Beneficiary?

Almost anyone can be named a beneficiary. Most people name a spouse, a child, a sibling, or a close friend. But beneficiaries don't have to be individuals. You can also name a trust, a charity, or an organization that matters to you.

A few things worth knowing:

If you name a minor child as a direct beneficiary of a financial account or life insurance policy, things can get complicated. Courts may need to appoint someone to manage the funds until the child reaches adulthood. Many people handle this by establishing a trust and naming the trust as the beneficiary, with instructions for how the money should be used on the child's behalf.

If you name your estate as the beneficiary rather than a specific person, those assets may need to go through probate, which can take time and add complexity for your family.

Beneficiary Designations vs. Your Will

This is one of the most important things to understand: beneficiary designations on financial accounts and insurance policies typically override what your will says.

That means even if your will states that your retirement account should go to your children, if an ex-spouse is still named as the beneficiary on that account, they may legally receive it.

Beneficiary designations and your will need to work together. Keeping both current and consistent is how you make sure your intentions actually hold up.

When Should You Review Your Beneficiaries?

Life changes. So should your designations.

It's a good habit to review your beneficiaries every year or two, and especially after major life events: getting married or divorced, having or adopting a child, losing a loved one, or going through a significant change in your finances.

A beneficiary you named years ago may no longer reflect who you'd choose today. Reviewing takes only a few minutes, and it's one of those small actions that makes a real difference later.

How to Name a Beneficiary

For financial accounts and insurance policies, you'll typically update beneficiaries directly through the account provider, online, by phone, or with a form. These designations are separate from your will.

For assets that pass through your will (like personal property, a home without a co-owner, or accounts without a named beneficiary), the beneficiary is whoever you name in the will itself.

HeirLight helps you think through both. When you work through your estate plan, you'll have the chance to name beneficiaries for your will and get clarity on how all the pieces connect.

A Simple Way to Think About It

When you name beneficiaries clearly and keep them up to date, you're not just filling in paperwork. You're making a decision in advance so that the people you love don't have to guess or wait during an already difficult time.

That's what clarity makes possible.

Ready to Put Your Plan in Writing?

Naming beneficiaries is one of the most important steps in any estate plan, and it's one of the first things you'll work through with HeirLight.

HeirLight helps you work through all of it: your will, healthcare directive, and power of attorney, in one guided experience built for people who want clarity without the overwhelm.

The questions are in plain English. The pace is yours. And you can start for $0.

Once you're done, you'll print and sign your documents according to your state's rules, and the people you care about will have something clear to follow.

If this has been sitting on your to-do list for a while, this is a simple way to finally move it forward.

Important: HeirLight is not a law firm and does not provide legal, tax, or financial advice. Our tools are educational and self-help in nature. For complex situations or legal advice about your specific circumstances, you should consult a licensed attorney.

Sources

The information in this article is based on general estate planning principles and publicly available legal resources. For guidance specific to your state or situation, we recommend speaking with a licensed estate planning attorney.

Cornell Law School - Legal Information Institute - Beneficiary - https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/beneficiary
Nolo - Beneficiary Designations: Key to Estate Planning - https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/beneficiary-designations-estate-planning.html
AARP - What Is a Beneficiary? - https://www.aarp.org/money/investing/info-2021/what-is-a-beneficiary.html
American Bar Association - Estate Planning FAQs - https://www.americanbar.org/groups/real_property_trust_estate/resources/estate_planning/