6 Reasons Why We Need Life Insurance

Reasons to Buy Life Insurance

As I grew older, got married, started a family, and began a business, I realized that life insurance was indispensable and fundamental to a sound financial plan. Over the years, life insurance has given me peace of mind knowing that money would be available to protect my family and estate in a number of ways, including:

1. To Pay Final Expenses

The cost of a funeral and burial can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars, and I don’t want my wife, parents, or children to suffer financially in addition to emotionally at my death.

2. To Cover Children’s Expenses

Like most fathers, I want to be sure my kids are well taken care of and can afford a quality college education. For this reason, additional coverage is absolutely essential while my kids are still at home.

3. To Replace the Spouse’s Income

If my wife had passed away while the kids were young, I would’ve needed to replace her income, which was essential to our lifestyle. I also would’ve needed to hire help for domestic tasks we’d shared like cleaning the house, laundry, cooking, helping with schoolwork, and carting kids to doctor’s visits.

4. To Pay Off Debts

In addition to providing income to cover everyday living expenses, my family would need insurance to cover debts like the mortgage so they wouldn’t have to sell the house to stay solvent.

5. To Buy a Business Partner’s Shares

Since I’m involved in a business partnership, I need insurance on my partner’s life. The reason is so if he dies, I will have enough cash to buy his interest from his heirs and pay his share of the company’s obligations without having to sell the company itself. He has the same needs (due to the risk that I might die), and he simultaneously purchased insurance on my life.

6. To Pay Off Estate Taxes

Estate taxes can be steep, so having insurance in place to pay them is essential to avoid jeopardizing assets or funds built for retirement. Use of insurance for this purpose is most common in large estates, and uses permanent (rather than term) insurance to ensure that coverage remains until the end of life.