Does Life Insurance Go Through Probate? 
If a person dies and has left no will , the estate must go through the probate process . This provides the beneficiaries , creditors and anyone else with a vested interest in the estate with a supervised place in which to distribute assets . Legal fees can make this a very expensive process . A life insurance policy is a contract that operates at the death of a person , However , the money is sent directly to the beneficiary . The risk is that the beneficiary might not be the intended beneficiary . This is a good reason to review your life insurance policy regularly . 