Help understanding my options w/ Whole Life policy
Hello, I am trying to understand my current options / next steps in determining what to do with an inherited? Whole Life policy. I have been trying to do some research but feel unsure about what I’ve come across. For context:
My mother owned a 20k Whole Life policy with me as the insured and herself as the beneficiary. She passed away about 4 years ago unexpectedly. At some point after her death, I got a call from the insurance rep, and all that I could understand at the time was that there needed to be a payment on file for this particular policy. At the time I had no clue what he was referring to as we still were trying to get her estate under control.
Fast forward to today – I am in a much more financially (and emotionally) stable place, and I would like to get this policy figured out. I’ve made monthly payments towards this policy for 4 years not knowing what it was doing exactly. I’ve tried to reach out to the agent to gain information, but they seem to be avoiding giving me information about the policy.
The agent recommends transferring the account into my name and designating a new beneficiary. I personally don’t feel as though I need health insurance currently, particularly whole life.
My questions then are
In order to receive information about my mother’s policy, must I become it’s owner despite being the executor of my mother’s estate?
I have no clue the true age of this policy (maybe 8 years old?), but if it’s old enough would it be worth it to just keep?
I have come across sources stating that if the policyholder dies, then the policy is awarded to the estate. Is this true? Or are there often clauses that state otherwise?
I am mostly trying to understand if I need to go about changing the policy ownership, and if a potentially 8 year old 20k whole life policy is worth keeping. The information I’ve been looking for is the cash value, surrender value, and current value, along with any possible taxes for surrendering/cancelling the policy. I do not know any of those amounts.
Thank you in advance for any help, I hope my information wasn’t misleading or incorrect!
