Estate planning at Shelter Insurance
How to protect 8 Shelter Insurance accounts — manage beneficiaries by phone, fund a trust by mail, and file death claims
Phone1-800-743-5837
Mailing Address
Shelter Insurance, 1817 West Broadway, Columbia, MO 65218
WebsiteLearn more→
Phone1-800-743-5837
Mailing Address
Shelter Insurance, 1817 West Broadway, Columbia, MO 65218
WebsiteLearn more→
Claims Department
Phone1-800-743-5837
Mailing Address
Shelter Insurance - Claims, P.O. Box 6008, Columbia, MO 65205
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified May 2026
Shelter Insurance is a insurance company with 8 products relevant to estate planning. Life insurance and annuity proceeds transfer directly to named beneficiaries outside of probate, making beneficiary designations one of the most important estate planning steps for Shelter Insurance policyholders.
Shelter Insurance handles beneficiary designations by mail and by phone. Accounts can also be linked to trusts through beneficiary designations to keep them out of probate entirely.
Shelter Insurance has documented procedures for both preparing accounts during your lifetime and handling claims when an account holder passes away.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to update beneficiaries by phone, fund a trust by mail, and review 8 account types at Shelter Insurance.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
7-step process, 6 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Because Shelter Insurance serves a limited number of states, procedures for trust funding and beneficiary changes may differ depending on your location. Verify availability before starting.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Policy ownership can be transferred to a trust, most commonly an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT), by completing an Assignment of Policy form. Contact your Shelter Insurance agent to request the form. Both the current owner and the new owner (trustee) must sign the assignment. Transferring an existing policy to an ILIT triggers a three-year lookback period under IRC Section 2035.
Contact your local Shelter Insurance agent or call 1-800-743-5837 to request a beneficiary change form. Complete the form with the new beneficiary's full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and relationship to you. Sign and return the form to your agent or mail it to Shelter Insurance at 1817 West Broadway, Columbia, MO 65218. Only the policyholder can change the beneficiary unless an irrevocable beneficiary designation is in place.
Shelter Life Insurance Company offers term life insurance (Level Term in 10, 20, and 30-year terms, Shelter Express Term with no medical exam required, and EZ Term for younger people with limited budgets), whole life insurance (traditional Whole Life with dividends, Secure Whole Life without dividends, and 20-Pay Whole Life), and Platinum Shield V Universal Life Insurance with flexible premiums. Products are sold by exclusive Shelter Insurance agents across 14 states. Not all products are available in every state.
In most cases, Shelter Insurance term life policies can be converted to permanent life insurance (whole life or universal life) without proof of good health. Contact your Shelter Insurance agent to discuss conversion options and timing, as conversion privileges may have specific deadlines based on your policy terms.
Shelter Insurance products are sold by exclusive agents in 14 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Not all products are available in every state. Contact a local Shelter Insurance agent or call 1-800-743-5837 for availability in your state.
Sources
Data sourced from Shelter Insurance primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
Phone1-800-743-5837
Mailing Address
Shelter Insurance, 1817 West Broadway, Columbia, MO 65218
WebsiteLearn more→
Phone1-800-743-5837
Mailing Address
Shelter Insurance, 1817 West Broadway, Columbia, MO 65218
WebsiteLearn more→
Claims Department
Phone1-800-743-5837
Mailing Address
Shelter Insurance - Claims, P.O. Box 6008, Columbia, MO 65205
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified May 2026
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Shelter Insurance accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
