Insurance

When is the Best Time to Get Life Insurance?

The number of people in the U.S. who have life insurance has increased over recent years. However, around one-third of households in the country still have no coverage. Many people put other financial concerns, such as the repayment of debts, before investment in life insurance. Obviously, you must take into consideration your entire financial position, but life insurance is something that you need to think about carefully.

You may be wondering whether you are the right age to start investing in life insurance. In fact, your own personal circumstances are more important than your age, when it comes to deciding whether you should buy life insurance or not.

What are your current circumstances?

If you are a single person, with no dependents, it may not be essential to have life insurance in place. This is because life insurance is a way of ensuring that the people you leave behind if you die, are financially secure. The money that is paid out helps to cover funeral expenses, pay off any outstanding mortgage and cover school and college fees.

Not having any dependents means that you have no-one to provide for, and so you may choose not to spend your money on life insurance.

Why you still need to think about it

Even though you may not need life insurance now, you should not discount making a purchase. This is because life insurance premiums are usually cheaper for people who are young and healthy. Financially, it can make sense to secure cheaper premiums when you are young. You must make the decision about whether to buy life insurance based on your financial situation and any other expenses you may have.

Which life insurance should you choose?

Once you have made the decision to invest in life insurance, the next big choice is which provider to choose. You need to work out how much life insurance cover you need, and research which provider offers the best value for money when it comes to that level of cover.

There are plenty of big name insurers around, but you may also want to make an appointment with a financial advisor at your bank, to discuss the type of insurance packages they offer. Banks are not the only financial experts that can help with insurance. You may also find it useful to speak to a credit union, such as Golden1. You can visit any one of many Golden1 Credit Union locations, and ask for advice.

The most important thing to remember, when choosing life insurance, is to take your time when making the decision. You need to make sure that you get enough coverage for your needs, and that you secure good value for money. You can make this decision at any time of life; the requirement for good life insurance is not based on age, but rather on your life circumstances.

James Hendrickson

James is an internet entrepreneur, blogging junky, hunter and personal finance geek.  When he’s not lurking in coffee shops in Portland, Oregon, you’ll find him in the Pacific Northwest’s great outdoors. James has a masters degree in Sociology from the University of Maryland at College Park and a Bachelors degree on Sociology from Earlham College.  He loves individual stocks, bonds and precious metals.