Are retirement benefits the same as life ins on an estate?

Retirement Benefits after Death?NO. Retirement benefits cease once a person dies and therefore would not be part of an estate.

When a person Dies, they are no longer considered "Retired", They are after death considered "Expired".

Life insurance also is not part of an estate unless there is no named beneficiary. The proceeds of a life insurance policy belong to the beneficiary named on the policy, Not to the deceased nor to the deceased estate.