Do I need life insurance?

Life insurance isn’t a mandatory type of coverage, but it’s worth looking into if you have people who rely on you financially. There are also a few situations where you might be able to do without life insurance — like if you have enough savings to self-insure.

Do I need life insurance?

If you fall under one of the following categories, you may want to consider life insurance.

Someone with cosigned debt

• To take care of their debt. Unfortunately, your debt doesn’t die with you. If you have cosigned debt, you might want to buy a policy that covers the cost— in case you die before paying it off.

Breadwinner

• To replace their income. If a breadwinner dies, their policy can kick in to help their family to pay for living expenses and maintain their lifestyle.

Business owner

• To maintain cash flow. A life insurance policy can provide much-needed money and financial protection if a key player dies. It can also be used to fund buy-sell agreements.

Homeowner

• To ensure their family can pay the mortgage. Many homeowners take out a term life policy that lasts as long as their mortgage. That way, if they die, their loved ones will have the money they need to make repayments.

Wealthy individual

• To pay estate and inheritance taxes. If your estate is worth more than $11.58 million, the IRS threshold for 2020, it may be subject to federal estate taxes. A life insurance policy can give your heirs the money they need to cover those taxes.

Stay-at-home parent

• To pay someone else to do the tasks they perform daily. Stay-at-home parents often do a lot of unpaid labor, like cooking, cleaning and ferrying the kids around. If they die, their life insurance policy can help their family to hire someone to take over those responsibilities.

People with hazardous jobs

• To protect their family financially in case of sudden death. If you walk into a potentially dangerous workplace every day, a life insurance policy can provide peace of mind and take care of your loved ones if something happens to you at work. Firemen, loggers, roofers, police officers and war journalists fall into this category.

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Who doesn’t need life insurance?

You might not need life insurance if these situations apply to you:

• You don’t have any financial dependents. If you don’t have a partner, spouse, child, aging parents or anyone else relying on your income, you may not need a policy right now.
• You don’t have any debt or major assets. Many people purchase life insurance to cover their outstanding debts and protect their assets — such as a house — when they die. But if you don’t have those kinds of financial obligations, you could hold off on buying coverage until you do.
• You have the money to self-insure. If you have sufficient savings, healthy retirement accounts, assets and well-performing investments, you might be able to self-insure. This simply means that your loved ones would be able to pay for their living expenses and financial needs using the accounts and liquid assets you already have. Life insurance is designed to replace your income, but if you can provide your family with cash flow another way, you might not need a policy.

Should I buy life insurance if I’m retired?

As you inch closer to your retirement, you’ll likely have fewer financial obligations — and therefore, less of a need for life insurance. But a post-retirement life insurance policy can help you to:

• Leave an inheritance to your children or loved ones.
• Pay for funeral expenses, legal fees or taxes.
• Cover any outstanding debts.

Should I buy life insurance for my child?

Since most parents don’t rely on their children financially, life insurance usually isn’t necessary — and a 529 plan may offer better financial protection.

However, there are a few cases where it’s worth considering buying a policy for your child:

• Your child is the breadwinner of the family.
• You have several investments in your child’s name.
• Your child has a serious health condition, and you want to lock in life insurance at an early age.
• You’re hoping to secure a low premium while your child is young.

When’s the best time to buy life insurance?

Anytime you’ve introduced a new debt or dependent into your life is a good time to think about your finances in general. Many people get life insurance after a major milestone, such as having kids, buying a house, getting a new job or getting married.

Other appropriate times to consider life insurance are if:

• You’ve graduated from college
• You’ve gotten divorced
• Your children have graduated
• You took out a loan.

Is there a right age to get life insurance?

Not exactly. However, the younger and healthier you are the lower your life insurance rates will be. The level of coverage to buy will depend on your income, expenses and needs — and it might make sense to adjust your coverage as you age.

What types of life insurance can I get?

The main types of insurance available are:

• Term life insurance. This coverage offers insurance protection for a set time period, like 10, 20, 25 or 30 years.
• Permanent life insurance. This type of life insurance is lifelong and has cash value. The most common permanent policies are whole life, universal life and variable life.

Other types of insurance

These types of coverage offer added protection for needs outside of a death benefit and may be useful in different stages of your life:

• Disability insurance. The truest form of income protection, this kicks in to offer monthly benefits if you become fully or partially disabled and can no longer work.
• Critical illness insurance. This coverage provides a lump sum benefit if you’ve received a critical illness diagnosis that’s specified in your policy. There are policies that cover up to 40 different scenarios, including heart attacks, cancer and cancer survivors and other critical illnesses, like strokes.
• Funeral or burial insurance. Designed to cover end-of-life expenses, this policy pays out a one-time lump sum benefit.
• Accident insurance. These policies can help you cover medical and out of pocket costs if you experience an injury, some people even use these benefits towards their health insurance deductibles.

How much life insurance do I need?

Once you’ve determined a need for life insurance, the next step is figuring out how much coverage to buy.

To crunch the numbers, add up the cost of your financial obligations and assets, including DIME: Debt, Income, Mortgage and Education. Then, aim to take out a policy with a face value to match.

Another simple way to calculate coverage is to multiply your annual salary by five or 10. So, if you currently earn $50,000, you might buy a $250,000 or $500,000 policy.

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What to consider when buying life insurance

When you’re deciding how much coverage to buy, consider the following.

• Number of financial dependents. Tally up how many people depend on your income, and how much it’ll cost to keep them afloat once you’re gone.
• Length of time your dependents could go without your income. You’ll want to add up how long your family could go without your income and consider an amount that could take care of them once they run out of money.
• Length of time until your children are financially independent. Consider how much your kids might need to survive before they become financially independent.
• Financial assets. Keep in mind which other financial assets you may leave behind that could help take care of your family.
• Amount of debt. Calculate the amount of debt you’re leaving being so that it can be taken care of if you die before your debts are settled.
• Business needs. Consider how your business may run in your absence and which financial assets.

Bottom line

If you have children or loved ones who depend on you financially, a life insurance policy can help to provide for them when you’re no longer able. Compare life insurance policies from different insurers to find the coverage that best suits your needs and budget.