Selecting Life Insurance
Purchasing life insurance coverage means different things to different people. When it’s time for you to select your life insurance coverage, the very first thing you should do is to write down your goals. Why do you need life insurance at the time’ Is it just to make it easier for your executor to take care of your final expenses’ Or do you have people you need to care for’ Whole life is a great tool if you are planning for big, once-in-a-lifetime expenses, such as college or retirement. Whole life also helps in retiring debt in case of death or disability, although term life might work for that, too. Consider exactly what you need your life insurance coverage to do before you decide which kind of policy is right one to buy. You may even find you need both whole and term coverage.
Secondly, before you ever buy a policy, take a careful look at how much you can afford to spend. It doesn’t do any good to pay premiums for years only to go into default when economic times get tough. Be absolutely sure you can afford to make the payments on the policy you buy. Know exactly how much you can budget each month on life insurance premiums. Term life policies are usually a bit less expensive than whole life policies. Some people choose whole life as a useful investment tool, and still others opt for careful combination of term life and whole life to meet their unique financial goals. Whichever policy or policies you decide are best for you, always be sure you can make the scheduled payments. Your insurance agent can help you find options to schedule payments in ways that keep your budget in the black.
Thirdly, don’t forget that if you are buying life insurance to provide your loved ones with an income after you die, you have to consider your total earning power. Your total earning power is not just your take-home salary. If your loved ones would have to buy their own health insurance after your death, for instance, or even if you think there is a real possibility your employer would drop their coverage some time in the future, you need to be sure to include this cost in computing the amount of coverage you need. You also need to calculate 3 per cent inflation (at least) into the amount you leave your family. You don’t need just to replace your take-home pay. You need to cover the perks and inflation, too.
Finally, consider what stage you are in life. It may be that all you need is a death benefit. But if you have people dependent on you for their income, you may need to leave them a great deal more. If you have dependents, make sure your income is replaced in the event of your death or incapacity. And if you need more money for your retirement than your social security checks and pension will provide, consider whole life as an investment tool.
Sit down and make a list of your goals, your budget and your earning power. Think about where you are in life and what you want to accomplish. Once you have these ideas mapped out, then you can decide on what life insurance product is right for you.