What must happen for a beneficiary change to be effective if it is revocable?

For a revocable beneficiary change to be effective, the policyholder does not need permission from the beneficiary. A revocable change means that the policyholder retains the authority to change the beneficiary designation at any time without needing to obtain consent from the existing beneficiary. This allows for flexibility on the part of the policyholder, who can adjust the beneficiary as personal circumstances or intentions change.

In contrast to revocable beneficiaries, irrevocable beneficiaries have rights that cannot be altered without their consent. This means that if a beneficiary is designated as irrevocable, the policyholder would need to notify the beneficiary and possibly get their permission to make any changes. However, in the case of a revocable beneficiary, the focus is solely on the policyholder's rights, and thus no permission or notification is necessary.