This guide covers life insurance claims and beneficiary disputes end to end. Part 1 sets out the ordering rule that makes the designation control over the will, the trust, and usually the divorce decree. Part 2 covers contestability, rescission, and the defenses that defeat it. Part 3 covers the other denial grounds, including lapse, exclusions, and terminated group coverage. Part 4 explains why employer group coverage is a different legal universe, with a mandatory appeal, a closed record, and no consequential damages. Part 5 covers competing claims and interpleader. Part 6 covers government and military programs and their statutory precedence orders. Part 7 covers the claim process, payment mechanics, and taxation. Parts 8 through 11 cover litigation, bad faith, planning, and the errors that recur.