# Why You Shouldn’t Name Minor Children As Beneficiaries

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-college-investor-audio-show-414113/why-you-shouldn-t-name-minor-children-as-beneficiaries
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-college-investor-audio-show-414113/why-you-shouldn-t-name-minor-children-as-beneficiaries.md
Podcast: [The College Investor Audio Show](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-college-investor-audio-show-414113)
Published: 2026-04-30T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://thecollegeinvestor.com/78501/why-you-shouldnt-name-minor-children-as-beneficiaries/
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/50aeb0d1-da9d-4685-ba2e-5b94bcae5a39.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-college-investor-audio-show-414113/episodes/why-you-shouldn-t-name-minor-children-as-beneficiaries
Duration seconds: 562

## Resource

Parents buying life insurance or opening retirement accounts usually want to name their children as beneficiaries (typically as a contingent beneficiary after a spouse). It feels like the obvious choice — if something happens to you, the money should go to your kids. But naming a minor child directly as a beneficiary is one of the most common and disruptive estate planning mistakes a parent can make, and it can tie up the very money your family needs most during an already difficult time. The problem is odd: minors cannot legally enter contracts in most states. A bank account is a contract with the bank. A brokerage account with the broker. Minors typically have to have a parent (or guardian) to open said account. And if parent is gone, it gets tricky. When a life insurance company or retirement plan custodian tries to distribute funds to a child under 18, it can hit a legal wall. The money can’t be released. And what follows is a court process that no grieving family should have to navigate.

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## Transcript

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