Whether you're married with kids, or have a partner or other relatives who depend on you financially, having life insurance can be important. Life insurance provides money, or what's known as a death benefit, to your chosen beneficiary after you die. It can help give your loved ones access to money when they need it.
Understanding life insurance can help you plan for your family's long-term financial needs. Here are five reasons why life insurance is important
Even if you have a savings, it's unlikely that it would be enough to cover your family's expenses for several years or even decades if something happens to you unexpectedly. Typically, there are three types of life insurance to consider: term life, whole life or universal life.
Whether you have a 9-to-5, are self-employed, or own a small business, your income might cover a portion or even all of your family's daily needs.
Housing, food, utilities, clothing, car maintenance and health care premiums are likely all part of your monthly budget, and even without your income, your family will still need to cover these expenses. The death benefit from a life insurance policy can help provide the funds your family may need to help cover these expenses.
Certain types of debt don't go away when you die, which means your loved ones may have to use money from your estate or sell off other assets to cover them. This could leave less money to pay for expenses.
Life insurance can help your loved ones pay for any debt you leave behind, including credit card debt, business debt, personal and/or educational loans and mortgage debt. At a time when your loved ones are already dealing with your loss, life insurance can help ease some of the financial burdens they may experience after your passing.
Funerals can be expensive. Dealing with this financial stress can add to the emotional stress your family might experience. Your family could use some of the death benefit from your life insurance policy to help pay for these costs. To do this, the beneficiary of the policy could direct some of the death benefit to the funeral home, or they can pay out-of-pocket and use the death benefit as a reimbursement for these expenses.
Understanding life insurance and how much coverage you may need can help when making long-term financial plans. Decisions like this should not be made alone and that is why we are here!
Speak with a life insurance specialist today to see how life insurance can benefit you and your family!