State RegulationsOH specificDifficulty 2/5
A Cincinnati policyowner designates 'my children' as a class of beneficiaries without listing names or percentages. When the insured dies, how is the class of beneficiaries determined?
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why D is correct
A class designation such as 'my children' is not a list of fixed names; Ohio beneficiary practice reads the class at the date of the insured's death, so children born or adopted after issue are included and children who predecease are excluded unless a per stirpes succession clause applies (see ORC 3911.09 and the companion beneficiary provisions).
Why the other options are wrong
- A) The insurer has no discretion to pick beneficiaries; it pays according to the designation and the policy's terms.
- B) A class designation intentionally avoids naming individuals, so later-born children are included rather than excluded.
- C) Nothing in a class designation favors the oldest child; shares follow the policy's succession wording.
Memory hook
Classes close at death: who is a child then, shares then.