The complete guide to the need for life insurance for different life stages and ages like single, married, divorced and retired seniors.
At different life stages, you will have different responsibilities and health situations. As a young and single person, you may not think you need insurance, but that could change shortly as you take on more responsibility. When you get quite a bit older and find that your life is becoming simpler again in terms of responsibility, you may not need life insurance for dependents, but may want insurance for other reasons. Read on to see how life insurance needs typically change over the course of a life.
When you are a single young adult, you are just starting to be financially and physically independent. Maybe you have your own place, but no dependents. In this case, if you died it would not cause as much of a financial burden for loved ones. For this reason, life insurance isn’t an absolute necessity for young singles, but it could still be a good time to obtain it. This is because you are healthy and the rates are lower than they would probably be later in life, when there is more of a chance of health issues. If there is a history of late-onset chronic illness in your family, it could be a good idea to buy life insurance at the reduced rates you can obtain in your youth. Also, if you purchased a house with a mortgage (as most people do!) with a co-signer, he or she would be responsible for the remainder of your debt if you were to pass away. This is where the payout from a life insurance policy can give some security. Also, if you are unmarried but have dependents such as an ailing relative, life insurance could provide financial support to help others care for him or her.
If you decide to marry, you may not need life insurance on that premise alone. However, if you buy a house together, the insurance can come in handy if one of you could no longer pay their portion. Even if your spouse has a good job and could pay the mortgage alone, it is good to have a back-up fund in case of credit card debt or other emergencies. Permanent insurance policies can be a great way to just save money over time, as well as have the peace of mind that you and your spouse are covered no matter what kind of financial situation pops up.
Once you have children, especially young ones, your insurance needs are probably at the maximum. Some people even decide at this point to become self-employed and leave the security of a larger company. In the instance of any major life change, it is important to re-evaluate your life insurance policy and see if you need to add to, switch or tweak your coverage in some way. Be sure that you have enough coverage at this point to cover your dependents, spouse, education costs and any medical issues that may come up.
In the case that you get divorced, your life insurance needs may change yet again. Without children, the coverage may not have to change very much—only converting you to the single beneficiary. However if you do have children, you will want to change your policy to reflect that they will benefit from the premiums rather than your spouse. This may involve some changes to your current policy, or a changeover to an entirely new one.
Post-retirement, you will have to evaluate your responsibilities in relation to your life insurance coverage. Is anyone still depending on your financially? Have you paid off your mortgage and other debts? If you have a lot of financial assets in addition to these things, you may still need as life insurance protection for estate tax liability purpose. Please call one of our life insurance specialists at (866) 972-3262 to determine the right kind of life insurance policy for your age or please complete life insurance quote request form now.
