How much life insurance do I need? It’s a question we all must ask ourselves, whether it be because of the birth of a child, planning for the future or even for estate planning. One thing is certain, life insurance can provide peace of mind.
Why Do People Buy Life Insurance?
Most people buy life insurance because they want to replace their income in case something happens to them and they’re no longer able to work. When it comes to protecting your family and your future, there is no other financial product on earth as important as life insurance. Don’t get caught up in thinking that life insurance is synonymous with death, it isn’t! Life insurance helps to protect everything you’ve worked so hard for over time and allows your loved ones to maintain their standard of living when you’re not around. Let’s take a look at what exactly makes it such an important investment.
The first step in deciding how much life insurance to buy is determining what type of coverage will be best for your situation and budget. There are three major types of policies: term, whole and universal. Term insurance provides protection for a specific time period (such as 10 or 20 years) in exchange for lower premiums than other types of coverage. Whole policies cover your family members against loss due to illness, accident or death throughout their lives; however, they cost more upfront and have higher annual premiums than term policies because they remain in effect until the insured person reaches age 100 or dies (whichever comes first). Universal life covers you until you die—regardless of when that may be—but costs more than either term or whole policies each year.
Consider Your Spouse
Whether your spouse is working or not, there are many factors to consider when deciding how much life insurance coverage they need. For example, if your spouse has already established their own career and income, they may not want additional coverage since they’re financially independent. Similarly, if your spouse has other family members who can help care for children and assist with house chores, that too could be a consideration when figuring out how much coverage is needed. Ultimately, it’s up to you and your spouse to decide what makes sense for your situation based on current job status and any relevant dependent relationships in place.
Even if your spouse is employed, they may not have enough coverage to keep their standard of living as high as it would be with your salary. If that’s a concern, then it might make sense to look into how much extra coverage will be needed in order to keep their lifestyle afloat without you. You can find out by reviewing your partner’s 401(k) plan and retirement account contributions. If they aren’t saving enough, take steps to help increase their contributions and/or convert them into guaranteed income products so they don’t run out of money during retirement or lose purchasing power because of inflation.
Estimate Final Expenses
Take a minute to estimate your final expenses, which includes burial costs, plus debts and monthly bills. If there are other people dependent on your income, such as children or elderly parents, it’s even more important that you get life insurance coverage large enough to ensure their financial security if something were to happen to you. Life insurance quotes vary depending on factors like age and overall health so make sure that you have looked into getting one before deciding how much coverage is right for your situation.
One of things that makes figuring out how much life insurance to buy tricky is that most people don’t know exactly what their final expenses will be. So before you can estimate how big your death benefit should be, it’s important to determine how your final expenses might add up. Do you have any loans? Will there be property taxes or special assessments on your home after you pass away? Are there any costs associated with cremation or burial? All these factors should go into figuring out what kind of death benefit is appropriate for you and your family in order to give them the security they need.
Calculating How Much Life Insurance You Need
There are no hard and fast rules to calculate how much life insurance is enough. But there are several guidelines that can help you determine your individual needs, including: average income replacement, final expense costs, children’s education expenses, debt repayment obligations and number of dependents/beneficiaries who will receive coverage as part of your policy. You may even want to consider whether or not financial goals such as retirement will be easier or harder to reach without you in the picture. So, while there isn’t one specific formula for calculating how much life insurance coverage is right for everyone, there are guidelines that can help ensure that if something were to happen, your family wouldn’t be financially burdened by it.
Get Help from an Expert
It’s best to talk with a licensed agent when it comes to figuring out how much life insurance you need. The only person who can accurately determine how much coverage you’ll need is an expert, someone who knows your specific financial situation and what your plans are for securing your family’s future.
Contact Advisors Insurance Brokers for more information regarding your options to secure life insurance today! (800) 695-8224