And we all find excuses.
Some excuses are legitimate, but most don’t stand up to scrutiny.
That’s especially true when it comes to one of the most important components of sound financial planning: acquiring enough life insurance to make sure your loved ones are protected if you die sooner than you expect.
Lowest In 50 Years
You probably enjoy talking about investing, seeing your money grow, buying homes and cars, sending children to college, having enough to retire comfortably — but all of that is built on one basic assumption: that you will be alive to do and enjoy these things.
But what if you’re not? Will your spouse, partner or children be able to experience all that you hope for them? Making sure they can is what life insurance is all about.
Yet ownership of life insurance is at a 50-year low, according to the Life Insurance Marketing Association (LIMA), which says that one in every four U.S. households has no life insurance, including 11 million households with children under age 18.
Equally worrisome is the fact that the average amount of coverage for U.S. adults has dropped to $167,000, down from $300,000 a decade ago.
3 Excuses Often Cited
There are three reasons (excuses) people cite when explaining why they haven’t gotten the coverage they know they need, says LIMRA. Do any of these apply to you?
1. "It’s too expensive."
2. “I just haven’t gotten around to it.” (procrastination)
3. “I don’t know enough about it to buy it.”
Are any of these excuses valid?
Let’s see:
Too Expensive?
If you believe life insurance is too expensive, ask yourself again: compared to what? A big-screen television? Well, life insurance is a necessity, not a luxury. And it's never been more affordable. Prices are at least 50% less than they were a decade ago. A 35-year-old nonsmoking male in good health can buy a $1 million, 20-year, level-term policy for just little over $400 a year! A healthy, nonsmoking female of the same age would pay even less.
Contact us to see the best rates from all of the different providers.
Procrastinating?
If you have been procrastinating, consider this for your tombstone: “Here lies ________. His family is destitute because he was lazy.”
Also, note that life insurance is only on sale when you are young and healthy!
No Idea?
And if you think you don’t know enough about life insurance, well, that’s what we are here for. We have developed some easy to use online tools and lots of FAQs so you can get a good idea about life insurance. The next step is easy, just contact us to start the process that only takes a few minutes to complete.
You need to protect your spouse, partner and children. September is Life Insurance Awareness Month — a good time to talk to us about your need for life insurance and how to get you the coverage you need at the right price.