Creditors’ ability to put a claim on life insurance and retirement benefits depends on whether or not they become part of your estate, and that depends on whether you designate beneficiaries.
To ensure that beneficiaries receive life insurance proceeds or retirement accounts, you must designate them as such; otherwise, the money flows to your estate, where it may be used to pay creditors. In some cases, you may want insurance proceeds to become part of your estate for the purpose of paying debt.