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Articles — page 4

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

A close overhead view of hands signing a life insurance beneficiary change form on a wooden desk, next to an open folder labeled Divorce Decree Paperwork and a cup of coffee

Life Insurance Basics 23 min read

Life Insurance Beneficiaries After Divorce: SD Law in 2026

South Dakota law revokes your ex as beneficiary at divorce, but insurers can still pay them if nobody sends written notice. How SDCL 29A-2-804 works in 2026.
Mike Moore, a life insurance advisor, reviewing a beneficiary designation form next to a framed photo of three young children at his desk in a South Dakota office

Families and Parents 21 min read

Naming a Minor Life Insurance Beneficiary: 2026 SD Guide

A minor named as your life insurance beneficiary in South Dakota can't receive the payout directly. Here's what SD law actually requires instead, in 2026.
Mike Moore, a life insurance advisor, reviewing a driving record and a life insurance application at his desk in a South Dakota office

Health and Underwriting 22 min read

Life Insurance With a DUI: A 2026 South Dakota Guide

A DUI does not automatically block a life insurance policy. How carriers classify DUIs and alcohol history, and what the lookback actually changes in 2026.
Mike Moore, a life insurance advisor, reviewing a life insurance application with a South Dakota client at his desk

Health and Underwriting 19 min read

South Dakota's New Organ Donor Life Insurance Law (2026)

South Dakota's HB 1101 bars insurers from penalizing living organ donors on life, disability, and long-term care policies. Here's what changed.
Mike Moore, a life insurance advisor, reviewing a CPAP compliance printout with a client at a desk in a South Dakota office

Health and Underwriting 22 min read

Life Insurance With Sleep Apnea: A 2026 SD Guide

CPAP compliance can matter more than the diagnosis itself. How South Dakota carriers underwrite sleep apnea for life insurance in 2026.
Mike Moore of Big Sioux Life listening to a client in his late fifties who holds his medical records beside a blood pressure monitor and pill organizer

Health and Underwriting 23 min read

Life Insurance With Heart Disease: A 2026 SD Guide

A heart attack or coronary artery disease doesn't automatically block life insurance. How South Dakota carriers underwrite cardiac history in 2026.
Mike Moore, a life insurance advisor, reviewing a whole life policy loan statement with a South Dakota client at his desk

Life Insurance Basics 21 min read

Life Insurance Policy Loans: What They Really Cost in 2026

Borrowing against a whole life or IUL policy is not free money. Here is how loan interest, IRS rules, and lapse risk actually work under South Dakota law.
Mike Moore, a life insurance advisor, reviewing a life insurance application and medication history worksheet with a South Dakota client at a kitchen table

Health and Underwriting 22 min read

Life Insurance With a Mental Health History: 2026 SD Guide

A mental health history doesn't automatically block a life insurance application. How South Dakota carriers underwrite anxiety and depression in 2026.
Mike Moore, a life insurance advisor, reviewing a Social Security statement and a mortgage worksheet with a South Dakota parent at a kitchen table

Families and Parents 21 min read

Does Social Security Cover My Family If I Die? 2026 Guide

Social Security survivor benefits are real money, but smaller than most families assume, and they stop when a caretaking parent turns 16. How to size the gap.
Mike Moore, a life insurance advisor, reviewing paperwork at a table with an expecting couple in a warm, sunlit South Dakota home

Families and Parents 21 min read

Life Insurance Before or After Baby Arrives: 2026 SD Guide

Buying life insurance before your baby arrives locks in your health class before pregnancy can change it. How timing works for South Dakota parents.
An open folder with life insurance paperwork, a pen, and a cup of coffee on a wooden desk beside a window, with a River Navy accent wall in the background

Health and Underwriting 21 min read

Life Insurance After Cancer: A 2026 South Dakota Guide

A cancer diagnosis doesn't automatically close the door on life insurance. How carriers underwrite cancer history in 2026, and what changes over time.
Mike Moore, a life insurance advisor, reviewing health and blood pressure information with a client at his desk in a bright office with River Navy accent walls

Health and Underwriting 20 min read

Life Insurance With High Blood Pressure: A 2026 SD Guide

Nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure. How carriers actually price it, and why the same reading gets different offers at different companies.

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