Do you have a plan?

8.22.12

Today, I am participating in the Life Insurance Movement that was started by Jeff Rose. You can read more about it here.

I know this isn't a topic that I normally talk about on the blog. I know that it is far from all the mama business, shopping deals, and everyday life that surrounds this little space of mine. But what I also know is that life insurance is a word that the young seem to steer away from, and unfortunately a topic that needs more awareness and exposure.

Why do young people not like to talk about it? Perhaps due to the lack of extra finances to open up a plan. Maybe the lack of knowledge of what life insurance is and what it will mean for them. And most importantly, lack of understanding of what life after death may look like to their beloved family members. So why am I, a 26 year old, talking about this today? Because I'm a mama now. Well, I've been one for quite some time. Not to mention that I am a wife. And also the fact that I am surrounded by both life and death where I work. Because I not only see the old pass but also the young. Young men and women in their twenties, thirties, forties, fifties. Women and men with young children. Some with older ones getting ready to head out to college. A daughter who is getting ready to walk down the aisle. A son who's the star quarterback on his football team. A wife who has been a stay at home mother for 10+ years. A lifestyle that they have worked so hard to build throughout the years. And then death happens. And it rips the family apart. It rips everything they know, everything they do, how they function, how they don't. And thus, they are forced to enter this new world of being a widow, left without their loved one, left with bills, responsibilities, and changes that they never thought for one second they would have to live with.

Perhaps I have reached the core of why young people don't discuss life insurance. Because by talking about it... it means that "it," in other words death, can actually happen. And the thing about it, is that it can. And it does. Car accidents happen. Heart attacks come unexpectedly. Cancer, in which we still don't have a cure for, strikes. And the unfortunate part is that these things can strike at any age, any time.

I was 23 years old when we opened up our first life insurance plan at my work which fortunately for us a very large amount was offered both for myself and my husband. I was surprised/impressed that ours actually offered something more than the typical 50k/100k plans that you typically see in work environments. Therefore, we took out the maximum amount allowed, which would far exceed a funeral, pay off our home and student loans in full, and give myself or my husband a 5+ year cushion to get our feet off the ground, get out of our depressed beds, and figure out how to get ourselves back in order.

We have maintained this plan since. Thankfully for me, it costs very little to us, and we view it as pocket change for what could be life changing if death did unfortunately strike. And we have further discussed opening up a separate private plan in the next couple of months to add onto the "cushion" of our life insurance. A cushion we do not exactly like to discuss over the dinner table, but as our family grows, know how important it is that we do.

When something as unfortunate as death of a loved one occurs, the last thing anyone would ever want is financial burden on top of the grief for their family members.

I hope that I will be one of the many that throws her money into an insurance plan that we will never have to use. Because that to me? Would mean that both my husband and I are still alive and living life with our children. But in the unfortunate event that we do? I at least know we are covered.

My husband and children are the most important people in my life. I hope I live to see my daughter's children be born. To watch my grandchildren graduate college. To travel and see the world. I hope I live to see the day my husband gets gray hair, is in need of a hip replacement, and needs a pill box to organize all his medicine. My hopes and dreams all revolve around my family, their health and security, and their future. And if a day comes that I won't be here to be a part of all these important milestones in their lives? My hope is that they will still be able to carry on those dreams of theirs with absolutely nothing holding them back.

So, my question to you is... do you and your family have life insurance? Have you talked about it? Do you have a story to share, whether it be your own your a family or friends? Take part in Jeff's Life Insurance Movement and share your story. Also there are some huge incentives in the form of a giveaway going on for participating. Prizes include an ipad, amazon gift card, and more! Pretty big if you ask me.