Serving all of South Dakota

(605) 274-8100 Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM CT Talk to a local advisor

Blog

Articles — page 3

Timely takes on life-insurance trends, data, and decisions — written for families across Sioux Falls and South Dakota.

Mike Moore, life insurance advisor at Big Sioux Life, reviewing a folder of paperwork with a client at his desk in Sioux Falls

Seniors and Final Expenses 23 min read

Life Insurance After a Gray Divorce: 2026 South Dakota Guide

Divorce after 50 erases old beneficiary designations and Social Security assumptions at once. Here is what South Dakota law and federal data actually say.

Mike Moore, life insurance advisor at Big Sioux Life, reviewing paperwork with a client at his desk in Sioux Falls

Health and Underwriting 24 min read

Life Insurance After a Stroke: A 2026 South Dakota Guide

A stroke does not automatically close the door on life insurance. See what two carriers' 2025-2026 guides say, plus real South Dakota numbers.

Portrait of Mike Moore, life insurance advisor at Big Sioux Life, on a river navy background

Seniors and Final Expenses 21 min read

South Dakota's Annuity Best Interest Law: A 2026 Guide

South Dakota requires annuity recommendations to meet a legal best interest standard. The disclosure form you should get, and how to use it in 2026.

Portrait of Mike Moore, life insurance advisor at Big Sioux Life, on a river navy background

Health and Underwriting 22 min read

Life Insurance With a High BMI: A 2026 South Dakota Guide

A high BMI rarely means an automatic decline. How carriers actually evaluate weight and build in 2026, with South Dakota's own obesity data explained.

Mike Moore of Big Sioux Life at a kitchen table while a paramedical examiner takes a client's blood pressure during an at-home life insurance exam

Health and Underwriting 22 min read

What to Expect at a Life Insurance Medical Exam in 2026

The blood draw, the fasting rules, and what results actually mean for your rate: a plain-English walk-through for South Dakota applicants in 2026.

Portrait of Mike Moore, life insurance advisor at Big Sioux Life, on a river navy background

Health and Underwriting 23 min read

Life Insurance With HIV: A 2026 South Dakota Guide

An HIV diagnosis no longer means an automatic decline. How carriers underwrite HIV in 2026, and the South Dakota protections that apply.

Mike Moore of Big Sioux Life reviewing an annuity statement with a retired couple at a table beside a framed family photo

Seniors and Final Expenses 23 min read

What Happens to Your Annuity When You Die? 2026 SD Guide

An annuity passes outside probate to your named beneficiary, but federal law sets the payout timeline. How South Dakota beneficiaries get paid in 2026.

Portrait of Mike Moore, life insurance advisor at Big Sioux Life

Families and Parents 20 min read

Cosigned Student Loans and Life Insurance: A 2026 Guide

Federal student loans discharge tax-free at death. Private loans and cosigners work differently under 2026 law. A South Dakota guide to closing the real gap.

Mike Moore, a life insurance advisor, sitting across a desk from a remarried couple reviewing a life insurance beneficiary form together in a Sioux Falls office

Families and Parents 21 min read

Blended Family Life Insurance Beneficiaries: A 2026 SD Guide

South Dakota's default rules exclude stepchildren from the legal word child. What that means for naming beneficiaries in a blended family, sourced for 2026.

Mike Moore, a life insurance advisor, reviewing a life insurance document with an unmarried couple at their kitchen table, a laptop screen showing a simple house icon between them

Homeowners 23 min read

Life Insurance for Unmarried Couples in South Dakota (2026)

In South Dakota, an unmarried partner isn't a legal heir. A co-owned home defaults to tenancy in common: what that means for your mortgage, and how to fix it.

Mike Moore, a life insurance advisor, reviewing a business buy-sell agreement and insurance policy documents with two South Dakota business partners at a conference table

Business Owners 24 min read

Buy-Sell Life Insurance After Connelly: A 2026 SD Guide

The Connelly ruling changed what buy-sell life insurance does to a company's estate value. What South Dakota business owners should check in 2026.

Mike Moore, a life insurance advisor, reviewing an annuity contract's surrender charge schedule with a South Dakota client at a desk

Seniors and Final Expenses 24 min read

Annuity Surrender Charges: What They Really Cost in 2026

Annuity surrender charges can cost thousands if you withdraw early. How they work, what South Dakota requires agents to disclose, and how to avoid one.

Start with a conversation, not a sales pitch.

Tell us what you want to protect, and we will help you understand the coverage options that may fit.

Call Compare My Options