After a life event
Six events, one checklist, and one item everybody forgets.
Insurance is bought at a moment and then left alone, while the life it was bought for keeps changing. Most coverage gaps are just a policy that matched a situation which no longer exists.
A handful of events should trigger a review, and one item on the list gets missed almost every time.
The item everybody forgets
Beneficiary designations. They don't update themselves, a will generally doesn't override them, and marriage, divorce, births and deaths don't change them automatically.
This means an ex-spouse or a deceased relative can still be named years later. Check every policy — including employer coverage, which has its own separate designation — and check retirement accounts while you're there.
Marriage or moving in together
- Life insurance, if either now depends on the other's income
- Auto — combine policies, list both drivers, and re-shop the household
- Home or renters coverage for combined belongings
- Beneficiary designations across everything
- Health coverage elections, which a marriage usually reopens
A new child
- Life insurance for both parents, including a non-earning one
- Guardianship arrangements, which are a legal document rather than an insurance one
- Beneficiary structure — a minor named directly usually requires a court-appointed guardian to receive funds
- Disability coverage, since income now supports more people
- Health plan enrolment, which has a deadline
Moving
- Auto insurance — rates and required coverages vary by state, and registration usually has a deadline
- Home or renters coverage for the new property
- Flood exposure, which differs by address and isn't in a standard policy
- Whether your producer is licensed in the new state
- Address of record on every policy, so notices actually reach you
A new job, or leaving one
- Group life ends with the job — check conversion and portability deadlines, which are short
- Disability coverage, which also usually ends
- Whether income has changed enough to change what coverage should be
- Health coverage continuation, which has deadlines
- Any coverage you own personally, which is unaffected and is why it's worth owning
Divorce, or a death in the family
Both need a full review, and both are covered properly on their own pages. The short version: designations, ownership, and any obligation a court order creates.
Don't cancel anything before understanding what it does. That's the most common expensive mistake in both situations.
Common questions
Beneficiary designations. They don't update automatically, a will generally doesn't override them, and employer coverage has its own separate designation that gets missed.
Marriage or moving in together, a new child, a move, a new job or leaving one, divorce, and a death in the family.
Yes — auto rates and required coverages vary by state, registration usually has a deadline, flood exposure differs by address, and your producer may not be licensed where you've moved.
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This page is general information, not advice about your specific circumstances. A licensed insurance professional can tell you what’s actually available to you.
General information only, not insurance advice. Coverage, availability, and terms vary by insurer and by state, and are subject to underwriting. Quote My Policy LLC is a licensed insurance producer. Nothing here binds coverage.