When your fiscal responsibilities lighten during the years between your kids leaving home and retirement, you might wonder if you really need to continue—or get!—life insurance coverage. Life insurance isn’t only necessary when the kids are financially dependent on you. It can help your spouse, your parents (if they outlive you), and yes, your children well into their adulthood. Having life insurance will give you the peace of mind to know they are protected should the unexpected happen—and will also let you relax and enjoy the newfound freedom you have once your nest is empty. Here are 5 reasons why having life insurance during your empty nest years is a smart idea.
1. Life insurance can help you continue providing for your spouse.
Even if your spouse also has independent income, the sudden loss of your income will greatly affect him/her. At the very least, your spouse might not be able to afford mortgage payments or rent and would have to move to a less expensive location. Also, if retirement is still 10-20 years out for your spouse, the loss of future income will reduce opportunities to grow retirement savings —which your spouse may have been planning on using in later years. Life insurance also is helpful for a surviving spouse who is in a Social Security “Blackout Period”—where a surviving spouse receives no Social Security survivor benefits from when the youngest child graduates high school to when the surviving spouse turns 60 years old.
2. Life insurance can help you provide for other dependents.
If you have a disabled adult child—or if your spouse or parent suddenly becomes disabled—the payout from a life insurance policy could help relieve their financial burdens. Your children might suddenly come up against other financial hardships, such as a divorce or the loss of a job, and life insurance can be a way to ensure their financial needs are covered should you suddenly pass.
3. Life insurance can help you cover long-term financial obligations.
Your mortgage, business loans, credit card debt, car loans, and even co-signed student debt can potentially fall on the shoulders of those whom you care most about. A payout from a life insurance policy can help off-set these potentially monumental costs so they don’t become a burden on loved ones.
4. Life insurance can help you cover end-of-life expenses.
Estate taxes. Funeral costs. Medical care. These and many other bills can pile up when one passes—potentially costing loved ones tens of thousands of dollars. Life insurance can provide assurance that your spouse and children won’t suddenly find themselves in debt managing your estate and taking care of funeral costs.
5. Life insurance ensures heirs receive a cash inheritance.
Life insurance not only provides a payout that can lighten the end-of-life financial burden on others; it can also mean that your beneficiary doesn’t have to give up Great Grannie’s china set. Without a life insurance policy, an estate executor might have to liquidate assets—such as real estate, automobiles, or valuable family heirlooms—in order to settle debts and carry out other personal financial wishes. With a life insurance policy, you can rest assured that most or all of your requested cash inheritance goes directly to those you love or charities of your choice without having to make the unfortunate compromise of liquidating tangible assets that your heirs would cherish.
Are you afraid your age might prevent you from getting life insurance? Health IQ recognizes that health conscious lifestyles can help extend one’s life—well into the golden years. Head on over to HealthIQ.com and see if you qualify for special rate life insurance for health conscious people.
ABOUT HEALTH IQ
Health IQ’s mission is to celebrate the health conscious through financial rewards. That’s why Health IQ is the fastest growing life insurance company in the United States, saving those who qualify up to 33% lower rates on their Life Insurance.
Fast facts:
- Secured $7.0 Billion in coverage
- Underwriting time is 35% faster than competitors
- 70% of their health conscious clients get the top rate class
- Partners with the nation’s top rated carriers
- Licensed in all 50 states
- Custom tailored services with the top team in the industry
- 9.6 customer satisfaction rating on TrustPilot
- Featured on Forbes, CNBC, TechCrunch, etc.