I have become the beneficiary of the death benefit
My grandmother had a Japan Post Insurance policy that she had contracted even before I was born. I was very well taken care of by the hospitalization benefits during her recent hospital stay.
The beneficiary of the death benefit had been my father, the grandmother's eldest son, since the contract was first signed.
However, my father claims to have dementia himself, and he is currently hospitalized for schizophrenia. He cannot even manage his own pension, so will he be able to handle the procedures properly when the time comes?
When I consulted with a hospital counselor before, they mentioned that it might be possible to appoint a legal assistant or apply for public assistance.
Although I am a bit irresponsible, I do have an iDeCo and a NISA, so I am not in financial trouble.
Therefore, until now, I thought it was fine for the grandmother's death benefit to go to my father.
I thought it would help with his living expenses...
However, considering how my father has treated me over the past six months, that feels unpleasant as well.
Everything regarding my grandmother has been dumped on me. I am the one doing all the house cleaning.
...So, I had a representative from Japan Post Insurance come to our home, and while having them listen to my grandmother's wishes, I changed the beneficiary of the death benefit to myself.
It seems that the death benefit becomes the beneficiary's own property and is, in principle, excluded from the scope of inheritance division agreements.
I'm relieved.
Aside from my father, I was worried that my uncle, who has been out of touch for over a decade, might come forward to claim rights.
I am not taking care of my grandmother because I want money, but wouldn't it be unreasonable if someone who does nothing to help just receives the money?
Also, my grandmother is very sharp when dealing with guests. Although she had her eyes closed for most of the Japan Post representative's explanation, she clearly expressed her intentions. Surprisingly, she even signed the tablet without any trouble.
Japan Post gave me a pamphlet titled 'Basics of End-of-Life Planning and Inheritance' for when the time comes.
Actually, a local representative had come to greet us a few years ago, and we were supposed to communicate via LINE if anything came up, but I heard through the grapevine that they were no longer the local representative, so I handled the hospitalization benefit procedures at the post office.
However, today I was able to get the LINE contact for the new local representative, so I can have them come over again if anything happens. That is a relief.
And then, the Japan Post representative asked a shocking question.
'How did you make this appointment?'
Huh?
How... well, I used the Japan Post Insurance website...
'There are only a few people in the Tohoku region who have made appointments using this method.'
W-what did you say!?
(The 'few people' part might be a misremembering)
By the way, I made the appointment from the site below that appeared when I searched for 'Japan Post Insurance visit' on Google.
It was very convenient to be able to choose from available slots like Hot Pepper Beauty, but to think that such a system isn't widely used...
Back to the main topic.
I have become the beneficiary of the death benefit, but I don't want any trouble regarding the inheritance, so I think I will consult a judicial scrivener sometime soon.
While my grandmother's cognitive functions are still normal...
Well, my grandmother doesn't have much property left. We disposed of many things when my grandparents' shop went under.
All that remains is the death benefit, savings, some accessories (no gold or precious metals), clothes, and souvenirs from various places.
Thank you for reading this far.
The Japan Post Insurance representative tries to solicit insurance from me every time as well. This time, they were so skillful that I almost considered it.
My father's side of the family has a history of longevity (my great-grandmother and great-grandfather both lived past 90), but my mother's side is a family of fishermen who drink and smoke heavily, so it's hard to say that's a family of longevity...
I wonder how long I will actually live?