If I die, how does my insurance agent know that I am dead?

Make a will and register it in the Will Registry. Just tell your family that you have a will. Upon death, your family can get will from the registry with the death cert.

Your Will Executor will identify and consolidate all assets including bank deposits, CPF, insurances, investments, real estate, etc.

He/she/it (if it is an institution e.g. Rockwill) will distribute the estate to your beneficiaries and trustees according to your will.

I find going the will route is better, as it is one centralised control centre. It goes by percentage of your entire net worth (excluding CPF nomination).

For example (total 100%):
Parents - 60%
Sibling - 20%
Pet - 10%
Charity - 5%
Girlfriend/Boyfriend - 5%

Whatever you want to put in your will. You can even put specific wishes/conditions like, a memorial ad in the papers upon death etc.

Below is from my financial advisor when I asked him that time:

"a.) If you do a Will followed by an Insurance Nomination, the Nomination stands. Then, if you change your Will later, the Will stands.

b.) If you do a Insurance Nomination followed by a Will, the Will stands. Then, if you change your Insurance Nomination, the Nomination stands.

The main purpose of the nomination is to discharge the insurance company's obligations legally. As it only covers specific policies and may cause confusion as things change (will change), it is easier and clearer to manage through a Will.

2.) For CPF Nomination, the monies will go to your parents (default by law if you are single) if no nomination. So, you need to do a CPF nomination if you want to include (someone else or a charitable institution)."

Hope this gives you another perspective. To me, I don't have to worry whether my agent knows or not.

If he knows, he can just come to pay respect and see a Catholic peaceful wake when the time comes, donate his bai jin (which will go to the church), enjoy the buffet spread, talk and laugh with my relatives, network a bit (maybe can even get some business hahaha), ask how I went home to the Lord~ etc.

A chillax atmosphere...no need to handle financial headache for me.

If you are single with no beneficiaries, is there a particular reason for you getting death insurance? I would assume that the larger reason is to obtain disability insurance instead. The solution is often to simply do a nomination and inform the nominated party you have done your nomination. In most cases, the person should be close enough to you to know that you are dead.

Witness program can be used, but I have not met anyone who gets insurance with no one in mind to protect for. If you have a next-of-kin, they will handle your affairs during your departure. If you have no NOK and did not make a nomination, it will simply fall under the Intestate succession act.​​​