The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) The occasion of the death of a spouse, parent, child, partner, or other loved one is a difficult time, accompanied by severe emotional stress, and is frequently a time of important and often difficult financial decisions.
(b) Life insurance is intended to provide an important resource to support and ease financial decisions at such a time.
(c) While life insurance policies may provide for a single payment of the death benefit, policies may also offer alternative payout options, including the use of a retained asset account.
(d) The inherent difficulty of financial decisions at such a time may be eased if consumers know what their available payment options are so they can receive the benefit of available life insurance policy proceeds in the form best suited to their circumstances and needs.
(Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 130, Sec. 1. (SB 713) Effective January 1, 2012.)