Beneficiary is a beneficiary is the person or organization who receives assets that are held in your name in a retirement plan, or are paid on your behalf by an insurance company, after your death. If you have established a trust, the beneficiary you name receives the assets of the trust. A life insurance policy pays your beneficiary the face value of your policy minus any loans you havent repaid when you die. A retirement plan pays your beneficiary the accumulated assets or requires the beneficiary to withdraw assets either as a lump sum or over a period of time, depending on the way the plan is set up. You may name any person or institution or several people and institutions as beneficiary of a trust or life insurance policy. Some retirement plans require that you name your spouse as beneficiary unless you get his or her written permission to name someone else.
| APA | Barry Goldsmith. (2010). beneficiary. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/beneficiary/definitions/1148541 |
| Chicago | Barry Goldsmith. 2010. "beneficiary" http://smartdefine.org/beneficiary/definitions/1148541 (accessed September 24, 2026). |
| Harvard | Barry Goldsmith 2010, beneficiary, Smart Define, viewed 24 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/beneficiary/definitions/1148541>. |
| MLA | Barry Goldsmith. "beneficiary" 21 October 2010. Web. 24 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/beneficiary/definitions/1148541> |