David names his wife, Susan, as the primary beneficiary and his two children, Emily and Michael, as contingent beneficiaries. He specifies that if Susan predeceases him, the death benefit is to be divided in equal shares among whichever of Emily and Michael survive him. This is an example of which type of beneficiary designation for the contingent beneficiaries?
Correct
The answer is B: Per Capita
Per capita means 'by the head': the death benefit is divided equally among the members of the class who are alive when the insured dies (Emily and Michael, in this case). Per stirpes means 'by the branch': a deceased beneficiary's share passes to that beneficiary's descendants instead of to the surviving members of the class. Irrevocable refers to the owner's inability to change the beneficiary without consent, and testamentary refers to a will.
Why not ?
Reviewed in our October 2026 California fact-check.
Show the answer
The answer is B: Per Capita
Per capita means 'by the head': the death benefit is divided equally among the members of the class who are alive when the insured dies (Emily and Michael, in this case). Per stirpes means 'by the branch': a deceased beneficiary's share passes to that beneficiary's descendants instead of to the surviving members of the class. Irrevocable refers to the owner's inability to change the beneficiary without consent, and testamentary refers to a will.
Reviewed in our October 2026 California fact-check.
