Hi, Nurse Sharon qnd welcome to the forum.
there may be exceptions but AFAIK proceeds from bank accounts, retirement accounts, post-tax accounts, annuities, the sale of a residence, etc all pass to the heirs and beneficiaries tax free. once those assets start earning those earnings are taxable or in the case of retirement accounts the withdrawls are taxable. my wife and i are going thru this right now after the death of her brother. he left her a substantial mix of assets all of which, according to our CPA, will pass to her federal and state income tax free.
IMO, life insurance, especially whole life, benefits the sales critter more than anyone and a blind chimp could likely get better returns in a balanced fund or even low cost index funds than in whole life.