Life Insurance I am a divorced mother of two daughters. I’d like to take out an insurance policy on their father, my ex-husband, in order to cover the money he contributes to child support in the event he passes. Is that possible? Does it require his consent? By Penny Gusner | Penny Gusner Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s. Updated on November 24, 2020 Why you can trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing honest and reliable information so that you can make the best financial decisions for you and your family. All of our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. We maintain strict editorial independence from insurance companies to maintain our editorial integrity, so our recommendations are unbiased and are based on a comprehensive list of criteria. Yes, it should be possible to get a life insurance policy on your ex-husband, but it will require his consent. Since your ex-husband pays child support for your daughters, you have an insurable interest in him, which is what allows you to take out a life insurance policy on him with you as the beneficiary. You can’t keep the policy a secret from your daughter’s father since he will need to consent to medical records being released, a medical exam for the life insurance provider and sign papers. It’s difficult to take a secret life insurance policy out on someone. If your ex-husband dislikes the idea of you being the beneficiary of a life insurance policy on him, you could look into setting up a trust as the beneficiary rather than yourself. That way, the money goes into a trust for their benefit, although you could still be the executor of the trust. Here’s more on life insurance trusts for child beneficiaries. Penny GusnerContributor . .Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s. Related Articles Can I withdraw money from my term life insurance? By Nupur Gambhir What happens to the cash value of my whole life insurance policy when I die? By Nupur Gambhir What is guaranteed cash value in a life insurance policy? By Laine Adley Do life insurance policies pay out if a person dies of old age? By Les Masterson Can you cash in a paid up life insurance policy? By Les Masterson How to forfeit life insurance proceeds? By Susan Manning