YOU CAN LEAD THE WAY
You probably have 1,000 things you would rather think about than life insurance.
You probably have 10,000 things you would rather talk about with your spouse.
Good news! This topic does not have to be that yucky.
We just have to get rid of some of the muck that sticks to it – like boredom and anxiety.
And the feeling that the whole thing is really just a racket.
Peel away the muck
Financial writer Ester Bloom does a great job of cleaning up financial topics to make them easier to handle.
She did a nifty job with her article “Life Insurance Ugh Why“:
Do you do the mature thing and pay for life insurance, for the sake of your kids and/or your spouse? Or are you throwing caution to the winds and encouraging others to do so too?
There you have it.
She has peeled away the ambiguity and reluctance we all feel, and set us straight.
Whew! It’s nice to be rid of the messy myths and get to the bottom line.
The root of the matter
Now that we have stripped away the ugly, we can focus on the good and bad of life insurance.
Here are a few things you need to know:
No job, no benefit. Ester makes this point in her story. Many times young couples will depend exclusively on employer-sponsored life insurance. As was the case in her tale, once the employee loses the job, they lose the coverage.
No assets, no protection. Many young families starting out do not have the liquid assets on hand to self-insure, should they suffer the tragedy of losing a breadwinner. So where will the money come from to pay the bills, if there is no life insurance in force?
Term – yes and no. Many financial advisors recommend the purchase of term life insurance. The thinking is that as you get older, you just won’t need a policy. Could be true for some people. Nonetheless, there are a whole bunch of reasons as to why people need life insurance in their 50s, 60s, and even 70s and beyond. Here’s one: maximize your pension. (If you would like to hear more on this, give me a shout).
Lead the way!
Ester hits the nail on the head.
There is no need to throw caution to the wind, and influence others to do the same.
You (yes, you!) can lead the way and do the right thing for your spouse and kids.
Have you done this already? Please, tell me in the comments below what it was like getting to the root of the matter.