Posts Tagged: Funeral Expenses

Life insurance – Tackling the top reasons why we put off buying it

OK, thinking about your own mortality is not a topic anyone enjoys, but our own death is one of the few certainties in life. So why do 35% of Canadians not insure their own life to make sure their family or loved ones are financially protected? While the number of reasons likely match the number of people not insured, the following are the most commonly heard.

Reason #1 I dont have a need for life insurance:
Lets be honest, this reason is by far the most common and for most people untrue. Unless you are an individual who does not have children, has money on hand to cover all debts and funeral expenses, and does not feel the need to offset the loss of their income to a spouse, leave any additional money to family, or to a charity, then it may be true, you dont need life insurance. But few people have the funds readily available to fulfill all their wishes or meet their obligations after their death.

At the very minimum, if you have anyone who relies on your income for their day-to-day needs like a spouse or children, or if you have debts like a mortgage, then you likely need life insurance.

Reason #2 Life insurance is too expensive:
If in the past people have found life insurance to be too expensive it could be because of the type of coverage they were seeking, like whole or universal life insurance. Term life insurance is the most affordable of all the products and is very popular because of it.

Term 10 Life insurance, the most popular Term product in Canada, offers a premium guaranteed not to change for 10 years.

A male non-smoker seeking 100,000 in coverage could be paying as little as*:

1125 for a 30 year-old
2129 for a 35 year-old
3157 for a 40 year-old
4207 for a 45 year-old
5281 for a 50 year-old

A female non-smoker seeking 100,000 in coverage could be paying as little as*:

6106 for a 30 year-old
7112 for a 35 year-old
8133 for a 40 year-old
9163 for a 45 year-old
10219 for a 50 year-old

As you can see, for very little money a year, you can get 100,000 in life insurance coverage.

* Lowest quote online from October 2005 for a Term 10 policy, one of the most popular life insurance products in Canada. Premiums shown are the rates if paid annually.

Reason #3 I dont know anything about life insurance and dont know where to start:
A number of free online tools have been developed to help you decide which term life insurance product is best for your specific situation and how much life insurance coverage you should get.

1Term Life Insurance Analyzers. By answering a few simple questions, these tools will assess your needs and let you know what product is most commonly recommended for people with similar lifestyles.

2Term Life Insurance Calculators. These tools will help you put a pound value on the amount of coverage you need in order to ensure that your family, loved ones and your debts are covered in the event of your death.

Reason #4 Life insurance is a hassle to get:
Thanks to the Internet, getting term life insurance quotes is now fast and easy. If you want to shop around first, getting quotes online means you can avoid hard-sell tactics by someone sitting across from you. There is no sales pressure or obligation to buy when you get quotes online. Its easy, can be done any time at your convenience and is simply a better way to shop for life insurance because of it.

If something were to happen to you, you would want to know that your family is taken care of. With todays economy as it is, more and more people have been trying to cut corners to help save on their budgets. A penny saved is a penny earned as they say. This goes towards saving money and trying to find low cost life insurance coverage that will take care of your familys needs.
Life insurance is pretty simple these days. If you are protected and you were to pass away, your beneficiaries will be left with a cash benefit. These benefits can be used towards anything that they need to use them for. They maybe used to replace lost income, medical expenses as well as funeral expenses. There is no certain set terms that these benefits must be used for.
Life insurance cash benefits are paid out by your terms in your written Life Insurance Policy and can protect a lot of things. If your spouse is dependant on your income for retirement, it can also help to keep those plans in tact. If you have a mortgage, it can help to pay off that debit so that your family will not loose their home. Perhaps you would like for your children to go to college, or you would like to leave money behind for them. With any decisions you make, you can do exactly what you have planned ahead for.
One great thing about Life Insurance benefits is that it is usually paid out tax-free. So when you look at the amount of coverage that you want to buy, what you actually see is what you will actually get. Its nice to know before hand that there is no guess work about how much will be taken out of your spouses or loved ones death benefits.
As you can now see, Life Insurance is very flexible. It makes a lot of sense for people now days, even if they have different goals in mind.
There are two types of Life Insurances. One is Term Life Insurance and the other is called Permanent Life Insurance. Lets first explore Term Life Insurance.
Term Life Insurance is a Life Insurance that last during a certain term. These terms can be from 10, 15, 20, 25 or even 30 years. During this time, your premiums are guaranteed not to increase. If you were to pass away during this time period, then your beneficiaries get the cash death settlement benefits. If you were to live longer than the given term period, you then have the option to continue your coverage for an annual, renewable premium, which is generally much higher. You can usually convert a term Life Insurance policy to a permanent one with out getting a medical exam.
There are two big ways that Permanent Life Insurance differs. First off, the policy is meant to last the rest of your life and as long as you continue to make the required premium payments. Secondly, part of the money that you pay in with is set-aside in an account where it can grow to cash maturity. These funds can be tapped into later on during your life. There are also several different types of Permanent Life Insurances, each with different advantages as well.
Be sure to find a Life Insurance Company and Agent that best suit your familys needs. Take the time to get at least three different estimates before selecting your company. These estimates are free and most agents are more than happy to even come to your home.