Page 16 – Life Happens

3 Questions to Ask When It Comes to Life Insurance

by Peter Colis | April 20, 2017 | Life Insurance | 0 comments

Your life insurance needs will ebb and flow throughout your lifetime. Buying a term policy early in your career or taking a basic employer-issued life insurance policy is a common course of action.

However, deciding how much and what type of life insurance you need at each stage of your life will serve you and your loved ones much better.

One simple thing to keep in mind throughout this process is that the more responsibility you have, the more life insurance you need. Here are a few questions to consider:

1. Who depends on me?

Of course, if you have children, a term life insurance policy that is large enough to pay off your home and debts with some money left over to support your family while your spouse or partner grieves and recalibrates the new financial situation is the option that gives everyone peace of mind.

Many times, it’s easy to overlook the other people who depend on you. The care of elderly parents or grandparents, siblings, or people in your family with special needs should also be considered carefully when deciding how much basic life insurance to buy. You can also get a working idea of how much you might need with this Life Insurance Needs Calculator.

2. How much insurance can I afford?

A term life insurance policy that covers the care of your loved ones in the event of your untimely death is an inexpensive option, if you are under 40 and in reasonably good health.

Permanent life insurance insurance is worth researching if you know you have a permanent need for life insurance, such as caring for a special needs child or sibling. It also makes sense if you’d like certain benefits beyond a guaranteed death benefit for your loved ones, like premiums that do not increase with age or changing health conditions, and a cash value that you can borrow against.

If you can afford the additional premium amount and expect your financial situation and income to remain stable long-term, whole life insurance policies offer living benefits that may outweigh the temporary pain of higher premiums.

3. How healthy am I?

People in great health who have only a little bit of wiggle room in their monthly budget may want to consider a combination of term and permanent life insurance coverage.

Your clean bill of health will keep premiums for both types of insurance lower than if you have major health issues. If you have a term life insurance policy but want more coverage, adding a permanent policy to the mix may be the ideal answer.

By adding a permanent policy with a cash-value element to your portfolio, you also open a world of options that could help add to your nest egg in retirement, start a business, or pursue a second career, among other benefits.

It is possible to have multiple policies and customize your life insurance to your changing wants and needs. Choosing a policy or combination of policies that gives you and your family the greatest potential benefit may seem tricky. So, simplifying the process by asking these three questions will set you on the right track.

5 Reasons Why It’s (Super) Smart for Women to Get Life Insurance—or More of It

by Helen Mosher | April 7, 2017 | Life Insurance | 0 comments

One of the most harrowing experiences I’ve ever had was during the sixth month of my pregnancy. My husband was out late, hadn’t called, and I was, of course, angry at his thoughtlessness. But this very evening, he had misjudged a bend in a rural, mountain road—and plummeted off the side of it into a ravine, totaling his car.

It was some time before campers found him, unconscious and with a dislocated shoulder, but otherwise uninjured. I was overwhelmed suddenly—even though my husband was going to be fine—with the prospect of managing the future costs of raising a child without him. But there was a catch to this epiphany: I was the breadwinner of the family. If I was worried about losing him, what if he lost me? I talked to an insurance agent and secured policies for both myself and him.

My story could be anyone’s story. And women, in particular, tend to have less life insurance coverage than men. So here’s why it’s a good idea to take stock:

1. Women increasingly are the primary breadwinners and even sole providers for families. Whether you’re earning more than your spouse or you don’t have a spouse, your income is critical to providing the most basic of needs to your family, whether that family involves kids you’re raising, aging parents or a special-needs sibling you’re caring for. Life insurance ensures that whomever depends on your livelihood can continue to do so even after (heaven forbid) something happens to you.

2. Stay-at-home moms need protection, too. Don’t discount the value you provide as the manager of the household. Life insurance provides much needed funds when an overwhelmed spouse or other caregiver suddenly has to find help to care for the kids, manage a household or needs to take a significant amount of time off to stay with them. Watch the Virgen’s story if you have any doubt.

3. Women often pay less for insurance—or get more coverage for the same amount. Because women have a longer average life expectancy than men, that in turn brings the cost of life insurance down for women. Also keep in mind that the younger and healthier you are, the less it will cost you. For example, a healthy 30-year-old can get $250,000 of coverage in the form a 20-year level term life insurance policy for about $13 a month.

4. Mompreneurs and those who work part time need coverage too. Women often run home-based businesses or work part time while also raising children. They should also consider their need life insurance because, while they may not be the main breadwinner, their income supports the family and will be sorely missed if something were to happen.

5. Women’s situations can change. Just when you think you’ve gotten your life insurance needs all taken care of, you might experience more additions to your family, or close down a business, or go through a divorce, or a family member might need your active support in the future. Is your insurance up-to-date with your changing needs?

Remember, an insurance agent will sit down with you free of charge to go through your needs and help you find coverage that fits your budget, which is key! If you don’t have an agent, here are some tips on finding the right fit and then searching by ZIP code with the Agent Locator. Don’t wait for that crisis moment, the way we nearly did!

A Family Torn Apart

by Hanna Boykin | March 21, 2017 | Life Insurance | 0 comments

Imagine one morning waking up to find that your mother unexpectedly passed away during the middle of the night. Now imagine reliving that horrible experience again 14 months later when your father dies from a terminal illness. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, but that has been my (and my five siblings) reality for the past two years.

The grief and pain of the loss of our parents is severe, but it doesn’t stop there. Not only have I been emotionally devastated by the loss of my parents, my siblings and I were torn apart because no one in our family had the financial resources to take on the responsibility of 6 teenagers, and so we now all live under different roofs.

Most families have the luxury of their older teenagers moving out after they begin attending college or find a job where they can support themselves, but that didn’t happen to us.

I often think about what would have happened if my parents had planned for their—and our—future by purchasing life insurance.

I often think about what would have happened if my parents had planned for their—and our—future by purchasing life insurance. Would I still be living with my siblings? Would we be in a financially stable situation so that we could stay together and support each other in our life and college aspirations? I know my life would have been better with life insurance, but I can’t change the past, I can only change my future.

Like my mother, I plan on going to college to be a nurse. I have to do this on my own. I have to work to put myself through school, and it is going to be tough, but I am determined to be a nurse and have a better future. Nursing classes are not easy. Anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and biology are just a few of the challenging classes I will be taking. Being 17, attending college full time and working is going to be hard. Every day I worry how I will manage to pay for basic necessities like rent, food, and utilities.

I don’t want to come across as feeling sorry for myself. I’ve cried enough tears for a lifetime. I’m a survivor, and I know that there are many other people in the world who are worse off than I am. I want to be a nurse to help people; to heal people. I also want to be a nurse because it will provide me and my future family with financial stability. Now that I know better, I can give my future children stability by purchasing life insurance to give them a better chance at life should something happen to me.

I hope that when I finish college, I can move my little brother in with me and put him through college. Both of us know that we need education to become successful adults. When he is older, I am going to tell him to get life insurance too. Thank you for this opportunity to share my story. I hope that other people can learn from my experience.

Editor’s note: Hanna received a Life Lessons Scholarship. You can help students like Hanna make their dream of a college education come true by donating to the nonprofit Life Lessons Scholarship fund. Donate here.

Life Insurance for a Family of One

by Marvin H. Feldman | March 10, 2017 | Life Insurance | 0 comments

We spend a lot of time talking about how couples, families and businesses can protect their financial futures with life insurance. But what about if you are single—do you need life insurance, too?

There are those people who have no children, no one depending on their income, no ongoing financial obligations and sufficient cash to cover their final expenses. But how many of those people do you really know? And, more importantly, are you one of them?

I think it’s important, then, to illustrate how a life insurance purchase can be a smart financial move for someone who is single with no children. Asking yourself these three questions can help you get at the heart of the matter:

Do you provide financial support for aging parents or siblings?
Do you have substantial debt you wouldn’t want to pass on to surviving family members if you were to die prematurely?
Did family members pay for your education?

Don’t Take My Word for It

Life insurance is an excellent way to address these obligations, and in the case of tuition, reimburse family members for their support. But don’t just take my word for it. Instead, “do your own math.” This Life Insurance Needs Calculator can help you quickly understand if there is a need—a need you might not be aware of—that could be easily addressed with life insurance.

The most important reason for you to consider life insurance may be the peace of mind you’ll have.

In addition to addressing any financial obligations you might have, the current economic climate has made permanent life insurance an attractive means to help you build a secure long-term rate of return for safe money assets. The cash value in traditional life insurance can provide you with money for opportunities, emergencies and even retirement.

For young singles, keep in mind that you have youth on your side. I don’t mean to sound trite. Instead, I’d like you to think about the fact that purchasing life insurance is very affordable when you’re young and allows you to protect your insurability for when there is a future need—perhaps, in time, a spouse and children.

While all of these reasons are valid, the most important reason for you to consider life insurance may be the peace of mind you’ll have knowing that your financial obligations will be taken care of should anything happen.

Juvenile Life Insurance: The Whys and Hows

by Erica Oh Nataren | February 16, 2017 | Juvenile Insurance | 0 comments

As a parent, perhaps you’ve been able to check the critical financial boxes for your family. You’ve established emergency funds, secured life and disability insurance, and are on track with your retirement goals. You may wonder, is there anything else I could be doing to help my children?

This can be the time for parents and even grandparents to consider juvenile life insurance. It’s an often-misunderstood type of life insurance that provides protection for your children or grandchildren.

For some, the topic of juvenile life insurance evokes confusion and perhaps even fear. After all, why would one want to insure a perfectly healthy child?

Thankfully, the loss of a child is extremely rare. So while a juvenile life insurance policy does indeed insure against this very slim risk, some types of coverage are also designed to protect your child’s financial future—in a way no other financial product can.

3 Types of Juvenile Life Insurance

1. Juvenile permanent life insurance.This type of coverage is permanent, as long as premiums are paid, and typically accumulates cash value over the years, just like with permanent life insurance for adults. Juvenile policies are generally issued at the lowest rates available, and with limited underwriting. They’re owned by a parent or grandparent until the child is 18, at which point the now-adult insured (even if he’s still just a child in his parents’ eyes) can assume ownership.

Upon ownership, the insured adult child enjoys some distinct benefits:

Guaranteed insurability. Your daughter or son locks in a low rate and continued coverage—and can generally purchase more life insurance up to allowable limits. This may be the most compelling reason parents buy juvenile life insurance. Insurability is easy to take for granted when you have it. While most children are healthy, a future health concern could one day make your son or daughter hard to insure. This affects their entire family, who must find other ways to protect against financial vulnerability.

Cash value. The policy’s cash value grows tax-deferred over time, making it a reliable savings vehicle with some unique characteristics. If the cash is needed, the policyowner can access it through low-interest policy loans or outright withdrawals. The policy can also be surrendered for the cash value, typically minus a surrender fee.

2. Juvenile term life insurance. In contrast to juvenile permanent life insurance, juvenile term offers parents significantly less expensive coverage. However, term life insurance does not have a cash value, and only lasts for a specific length of time, such as 10, 20 or 30 years. Policyowners pay a level premium during the length of the term, at which point the term expires and coverage becomes more expensive, often significantly so.

Juvenile term coverage is typically available as a rider (basically, a coverage option) on a parent’s term policy. This rider typically lasts until your child reaches adulthood. You can often purchase coverage for all your children for the same price, with a single rider. In the event of the unexpected death of an insured, the policy’s death benefit can be used to cover expenses.

3. Juvenile group life insurance. Finally, some employers offer juvenile life insurance options through their group life insurance coverage. While convenient, keep in mind employee benefit programs can change at any time, and that in general, group life insurance can be hard or impossible to take with you if you leave your employer.

Remember, while you may have a lot of other priorities on your plate, juvenile life insurance can help create a bedrock of financial stability for your children as they come of age in an uncertain world.

The Cost of Raising a Child AKA Why You Need Life Insurance

by Maggie Leyes | February 8, 2017 | Life Insurance | 0 comments

Each year the government (the USDA to be exact) publishes how much it costs to raise a child to 18. The number is staggering. It’s more money than most of us can imagine coming up with, which is why life insurance is so important. You can cover that sum—$233,610—for a modest monthly premium. A healthy 30-year-old, for example, can get $250,000 of term life insurance coverage for 20 years for about $13 a month. That is a small price to pay for both peace of mind, and having your child be OK financially if something were to happen to you.

Source: United States Dept. of Agriculture, January 2017

6 Reasons People Don’t Buy Life Insurance (and Why They’re Wrong)

by Helen Mosher | January 23, 2017 | Life Insurance | 0 comments

Let’s face it. Most people put off buying life insurance for any number of reasons—if they even understand it Take a look at this list—do any of them sound like you?

1. It’s too expensive. In the ever-burgeoning budget of a young family, things like day care and car payments and possibly student loans eat up a good chunk of the money each month, and a lot of people think that life insurance is just outside those “necessities” when money’s tight. But two things: life insurance is often not nearly as expensive as you might think, especially when you can get a good policy for less than the cost of a daily cup of coffee at the local café, and well, if money’s tight now, what if something happens to you?

2. That’s that stuff for babies and old people, right? People of a certain age remember Ed McMahon telling them their grandparents couldn’t be turned down for any reason and figure that’s the target demographic for life insurance. Or, you might have been offered a small permanent insurance policy for your newborn, attractively presented with a cherubic infant on the envelope. The truth of the matter is that these are very specific insurance products—just as there are many insurance products for adults in their working years.

3. I’m strong and healthy! You eat right, you stay active, and everyone admires how grounded and centered you are. You passed your last physical with flying colors! That’s GREAT! But you’re neither immortal nor indestructible. It’s not even that something could happen to you – though it could – so much as when you’re at your strongest and healthiest, there’s no better time to get a policy to protect your loved ones. If you fall seriously ill or suffer significant injury later, it will make it tougher to get that kind of policy, if any at all.

4. I have life insurance through my job. Many people are offered life insurance as part of their employee benefit coverage –and often, it’s the first time they encounter life insurance and have no idea that a $50,000 policy, or one or two times their salary, isn’t as much as they think it is. It sounds like a lot of money, until you figure that it has to cover some or all the expenses for your loved ones in your absence. Plus, if you leave the job, it’s typically the type of insurance that doesn’t “move on” with you.

5. I don’t have kids. Sure, kids are a big reason why some people get life insurance. But that’s not the only litmus for needing protection. If there is anyone in your life who would suffer financially from your loss—your spouse or live-in partner, a sibling, even your parents—a life insurance policy goes a long way in making sure everyone’s still OK even if something happens to you.

6. Life insurance—it’s on my list … eventually. There’s no deadline on life insurance, no mandate from the government on purchasing it. Your parents may have never talked to you about its importance, and it’s certainly not the most invigorating topic for conversation. But don’t let your “eventually” turn into your loved ones’ “if only.”

If any of this sounds daunting, just know that you can talk to an agent—at no cost. They will help you figure out how much you may need, and also find a policy that fits into your budget. If you don’t have an agent, you can use this Agent Locator to find one in your area.

Key Documents You Should Track and Store Safely

by Marvin H. Feldman | January 10, 2017 | Financial Planning | 0 comments

Do you have your legal and financial documents stored (maybe stashed) in various places around your home? Some in a desk drawer? Others in your closet? Some in a safe? Even more in a file cabinet in the basement? It’s time to get a handle on all your documents and store them safely, noting the location. You can use this list as a starting point, and also as a reminder to follow through on moving any of these documents or tasks from your “to do” list to your “it’s done” list!

To download a PDF of this list to print or use on your computer, click here.

Our Time of Greatest Need

by Samantha Ferraro | November 28, 2016 | Life Insurance | 0 comments

My mother was so loving. She was also my best friend and my rock.

I had a great childhood. My mom was the educational director at the local nature center, and I spent a lot of time with her and all the great animals. And that included at home. We had a cat called Precious and a dog named Peaches, and a pet not many other kids can say they had: a bull python.

Everything changed, though, when my mom was diagnosed with liver cancer on my fifth birthday. I started spending a lot of time in hospitals. That was OK because I was still with her.

But on October 26, 2004, I gave my beautiful mother one last hug and she whispered to me, “I will always be proud of you.” I was 6 at the time, and she was just 44.

For a long time I didn’t understand the finality of death. I remember telling my sisters that I wanted to see my mom. They explained that she was in a better place now, but I didn’t understand what that really meant. I thought she had gone away or was hiding from me.

During that difficult time—when your only anchor is your family—mine was being pulled apart by financial hardship. My mother didn’t have life insurance, which meant my dad, who was 73 at the time, ended up working more than 50 hours a week. And my sisters, who were in high school, had to find work to help put food on the table. We hardly saw each other, which made things even worse.

It would have saved us not only from financial hardship, but from the heartbreak of not having our family together in our time of greatest need.

When I was 16, I got two jobs in order to help out, but it compromised my sleep, my studies and the little time I did have with my family. Our ritual of a family dinner each night became obsolete. At this point, I’d not only lost my mother, but my sisters and father too, because they were always working.

My mother never got life insurance because she thought it was too expensive, but I know now that life insurance is priceless. It would have saved us not only from the financial hardship that we faced after her death, but from the heartbreak of not having our family together in our time of greatest need.

My sisters weren’t able to go to college, but nothing is going to stop me from getting my college degree. That’s why I am so thankful for the scholarship I’ve received through the Life Lessons Scholarship Program. It’s making my dream of a college education come true.

I’m now a freshman at the University of South Florida in Tampa. I’m majoring in bio medical sciences and my dream is to go on to medical school. And this coming summer I’m looking forward to giving back as well by joining the non-profit organization MedLIfe on a trip to Thailand to help at a local hospital in an impoverished area.

I know I have a lot of hard work ahead of me, but I’m looking forward to the day when I get my college degree, something my mom wasn’t able to do. I know she will be smiling down on me when I can finally say, “Mama, I made it.”

Editor’s Note: You can support students like Samantha through your tax deductible donation the the Life Lessons Scholarship Program. And know that 100% of your donation goes directly to fund the students’ scholarships. To donate, go to lifehappens.org/donate. And please spread the word.

Here’s What You Need to Know About a Long-Term Care Insurance Policy

by Matt Dean | November 7, 2016 | Long-Term Care Insurance | 0 comments

So you’ve made the decision to learn more about long-term care insurance. That’s smart, as neither health insurance nor Medicare would pay for extended long-term care services in the event that you needed them in the future. Plus, there’s about a 70% chance you’ll need some type of long-term care after age 65, according to government stats. And given that the cost of long-term care can quickly deplete your life’s savings, it just makes sense to add it your financial plan.

When you prepare for any upcoming investment or purchase, you probably run into some unfamiliar language or terminology in your research, which can be frustrating and downright confusing.

Searching for a long-term care insurance policy is no different. A long-term care insurance policy describes coverage under the policy, exclusions and limitations—and can be laden with industry jargon. Here’s a breakdown of the fundamentals:

There are four primary components that determine your long-term care benefits and influence your monthly cost.

1. How much. This is the total maximum benefit available under any policy. There are many maximums to choose from, ranging from $100,000 to $250,000, $500,000 or more. Benefits are available until you have received your maximum benefit in total.

2. How fast. This is the monthly limit you can access from your total maximum benefit. Insurance companies do not pay out your “how much” in a single lump sum. Rather, you access your benefits in smaller amounts on a monthly basis up to a predetermined monthly maximum.

Depending on the carrier you choose, your monthly maximum could range from $1,500 to $10,000 a month. The “how much” and “how fast” components work together to determine how long your coverage will last. If your monthly maximum (“how fast”) is $5,000 and your total policy maximum (“how much”) is $250,000, it would take 50 months (four years, two months) before your exhaust your policy benefits. If you needed $2,000 a month to pay for home care, as an example, it could take more than 10 years to exhaust a $250,000 policy. The greater your “how much” and “how fast,” are the higher your premium will be.

3. Growth rate. This determines how your benefit grows over time. The most common growth rate today is 3%. If your policy started with $176,000 in your “how much” and $4,500 in your “how fast,” a 3% annual growth rate would double your benefits in 24 years to $352,000 total maximum benefit and $9,000 monthly maximum respectively.
You also have the option of choosing a growth rate other than 3% or to increase your maximums upfront and forgo a growth rate all together. A specialist can help you identify the growth rate that best suits your goals and budget.

4. Deductible. Long-term care insurance has an elimination period that, like a deductible, determines how much you may have to pay out of your pocket before benefits are paid. One distinction to note is that an elimination period is stated in days, not dollars. The most commonly selected elimination period is 90 days. This typically means that you must receive 90 days of care that you pay for out of your pocket before benefits are available.

Not that difficult when put simply, right? I hope you feel better prepared in your search for the right policy and that I have also remove some of the confusion. long-term care insurance is here to help you live the lifestyle you want 10, 20, even 30 years down the road.

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