Transitioning and Social security, life insurance, title

[emmicd]

for those who have transitioned from male to female i have some questions out of curiosity listed below:

1) if you transition and change your gender from male to female what happens to your social security benefits and the rights of your beneficiaries when you die?

2) what happens to your IRAs, pension, etc in your other gender?

3) what happens to your life insurance and the rights of your beneficiaries?

4) what happens with your professional license in your other gender?

5) what happens with respect to all the things you hold title to as the other gender?

it must be quite necessary to have an attorney who knows about this.

Please share your experiences on these all important issues.

thank you

emmi

[Rianna Humble]

I cannot speak for the law in New York, but I would hope that a number of principles should be universally respected

If you have paid for a contributory pension scheme, then the contracted rights from those contributions should not be affected by a change of gender.

The same should apply to a contract of life insurance, with the possible exclusion of automatic rights for a spouse (if your local law requires you to divorce in order to be recognised in your true gender) although a will could overcome that.

Anything you own is still yours although professional licenses might be at the discretion of the licensing body (I don't know).

[Kristy_K]

I would think if you change your gender that you will change your name. Doing all that takes time but it can be done by yourself. Hiring a lawyer will help with the court system and Wills or ect. It took me a few months to change my name and gender on everything I own including my house and mortgage. Everyone may require you to do it a little different in some ways. But it does take time.

Kristy

[Julia_in_Pa]

Hi Emmi,

When I legally changed my name I changed it on all other documentation as well.
Since I have no surgeries my gender marker is sadly a mixture of M and F concerning social security.
With respect to social security I just keep my name change records and records of when I changed my gender marker on other official documentation.
This will be a hurdle to jump through upon retirement but it's something that must currently be put up with.

I consulted no attorney when changing my name on other documentation official or otherwise.
Nothing should be affected when you transition if you change your name as soon as possible on documentation no matter what that documentation is.
Changing everything took about 2 months of concentrated effort for me to do so.

I hope this helps you.


Julia

[sandra-leigh]

In Canada, nothing would be affected, with one possible exception: if you have any certification that is partly health based, such as scuba-diving or fire-fighter or on-street police, then presentation of evidence of major surgery could potentially trigger a requirement to re-test. This would not be because of the gender change, but because of the implied potential for health change.

I say "in Canada" knowing that the legal situation here is different than in the USA.

[Kaitlyn Michele]

It is all much simpler than you think...

None of your assets or liabilities are impacted legally. Imagine a world where you could change your name and all your debts would vanish!!!

that being said, AFTER you change your name, you will have the option to go through all the stuff like titles, insurance etc... you will provide legal documentation of the name change, and that's that...

[Jorja]

Can't add much that Kaitlyn hasn't already said. Change your name then show proof of said name change and your good to go.

[sandra-leigh]

None of your assets or liabilities are impacted legally. Imagine a world where you could change your name and all your debts would vanish!!!

Imagine a world in which insurance companies used fine details of wordings to squirm out of payments when-ever possible. What a strange and familiar world that would be...

[Stephenie S]

Sweetie? Nothing will happen to all those things. They will all still be there after transition.

You will get your SS check when you retire (providing the government keeps SS solvent). You will get all your insurance benefits. All your IRA stuff. Everything. Transition means that you change gender. It does not mean you get to disappear, only to re-appear as a new person. All that stuff will stay with you. And you COULD use a lawyer if you want, but it's really not necessary.

S

[Michelle.M]

for those who have transitioned from male to female i have some questions out of curiosity listed below:

1) if you transition and change your gender from male to female what happens to your social security benefits and the rights of your beneficiaries when you die?

2) what happens to your IRAs, pension, etc in your other gender?

3) what happens to your life insurance and the rights of your beneficiaries?

4) what happens with your professional license in your other gender?

5) what happens with respect to all the things you hold title to as the other gender?

it must be quite necessary to have an attorney who knows about this.

Please share your experiences on these all important issues.

thank you

emmi

Well, I have just done most of these, and for the most part it's a simple name change. Can't speak to the professional licenses, those, as I have none

[Danni Bear]

EMMI,

professional lisences will change over to the new name with documentation without regard to gender.

danni