The next time you are sitting down with your family ask yourself these
questions:
If I died yesterday would my family have the following
- Income
or lump sum to pay the mortgage
- Income
to maintain their standard of living
-
Income to educate the children
- Income
to meet the current and future commitments
e.g. everyday expenses.
|
|
If the
answer is yes then you are adequately insured, however if it is no then
you owe it to your family to do something about it.
Life Assurance is designed primarily to protect the family against financial
hardship in the event of the unexpected death of the main earner. Having
decided to effect a Life Assurance plan then you should ask How much
cover do 1 require? As a general rule of thumb the answer is approx.
Salary x 10.
How much will it cost? The answer to this question will of course
depend on your age and your state of health.
If you already have life assurance it is worth your while to check that
your level of cover still suits your requirements - have your family
grown up? Have you changed jobs? You will certainly have got older and
that in itself is a good reason to review your situation.
WHY
INSURE YOUR SPOUSE: why Insure your spouse?
Both
spouses contribute towards the family lifestyle. Your spouse's unexpected
death could lead to undue pressure on the family budget in addition
to the enormous emotional stress. If your spouse is an income earner
there will be a loss of income to the family budget. You might also
have to budget for the additional cost of paying a housekeeper or paying
someone to mind the children while you are out at work. Finally, you
will immediately change from married to single status for income tax
purposes which will reduce your net take home pay. This is the time
when the tax free lump sum from a life assurance plan could make a big
difference to your family's welfare.