Wednesday, August 22, 2012

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.

15 comments:

  1. Our family had no plan whatsoever - we always relied on our work to make sure Life Insurance was taken care of with their 50k limit. Well when my husband passed away in March from his motorcycle accident and he had only been at his new job for 45 days with no health insurance, no life insurance, not anything that would take care of our family! I am now the proud owner of a 250k life insurance policy to make sure my boys are taken care of if god forbid anything happened to me!!!!!

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  2. I was 18 when I got my first life insurance plan, why might you ask? Well I was looking for a multi-line discount on my car insurance so I figured what the heck. That plan today, now that I'm 32 pays for itself. I also purchased another plan 4 years ago after my mother in law passed away. The insurance broker said most plans are purchased right after the death of a loved one. It's like death opens your eyes to the what ifs and those left behind start to plan the what if they passed away.

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  3. Good post, Becky. I am always in that worst-case thinking state of mind. After we had kids, everything was changed to the max limit... wills were created and notarized, and plans were put in place.

    Anything can happen... I've seen deaths ruin a family financially.

    I hope whoever reads your blog today, starts getting their ducks in a row. :)

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  4. life insurance is so important and I don't think many people realize how important it is until something happens. Thank you for sharing, it is so important to have for your family!

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  5. My dad started policies on us awhile ago when my mom passed away from cancer. I have taken over the policy and its ready whenever it needs to be taken care of. My husband, on the other hand, is having a hard time combining things and so we've been married way over a year now and I'm not listed on his stuff. Guess its a lazy guy thing but that's where we mesh on things like that.

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  6. Did I ever tell you that you are amazing with words? Gosh, this post could not have been better. Love the truth...the personal story...the reality! Thank you for supporting #LifeAWARE and writing about something that is so important for people to understand!

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  7. yes-everybody get a plan!! it's so important.

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  8. Very wise post :) Something to consider, however, is that while a life insurance plan through an employer is great... it's recommended to have a plan on your own, aside from work. Should you change jobs, lose your job, etc, most times the life insurance policy you've been paying into for year(s), is no longer available if you are no longer employed with that company. With a separate plan, you've got something in place wherever you are. :)

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  9. Yes! We have a policy - it's very important, everyone should decide to sign up for one! Great post, Becky!

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  10. We have life insurance through the military, thank goodness, and if we get out, I'm sure we will get another policy!

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  11. We just got life insurance a few months ago and it put us both at ease.

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  12. Yes ma'am!! Great post! Glad to see someone talking about this! Very very important. Right up there with a will and a trust (which we are currently finalizing), especially for couples with children. The last thing we want to do is die intestate!!! :) xo

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  13. Love this post. We finally got life insurance a few weeks/months back. It took months of looking over different policies...but we have one that will definitely be of help in case of the worse happening. God forbid it happens to you and yours and ours as well.

    I, too, want to be a grandmother and experience life fully. But, I am not at ease knowing if something DOES happen that our bills, house and funeral expenses can be covered.

    <3 <3 <3

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  14. My fiance and I both have life insurance. Mine is through my employer (once we get married, I plan on getting a private policy as well), and his is through a private group. It is frustrating to see someone pass away and not have life insurance(especially when people assume that they did) because they left their employer, so I want to second what one of the other commenters wrote about looking into private plans as well.

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  15. Not going to lie, I've been excited to read this post since I read you advertising it - I'm a self-admitted insurance nerd. We even sell one plan (I know many companies offer it), that's a term policy - it's just like a regular term policy, but it costs a little more each month. At the end of the term, if you haven't cashed in the policy, you get every penny you put in to it back. So if you pay $100 a month for 30 years for a $750k life policy and you don't die, you get a nice little cash sum of $36k plus interest back. Thanks for posting about life insurance on your blog - you're right, most people don't like to think about it!

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