Will Life Insurance Have To Go Through Probate? 
Life insurance proceeds usually pass to a named beneficiary , thus bypassing probate . Property passes a few different ways , such as by deed , title , will -LRB- probate -RRB- , and beneficiary . Since life insurance passes directly to the beneficiary , it is a private transaction and not subject to public records scrutiny . This is a good reason to make sure your beneficiary designation includes a contingent beneficiary , so that the proceeds do n't default to your estate , thus actually becoming a part of the probate process . 