Life insurance is vitally important for any young family just starting out.

Milestones like owning a home, having a baby, and saving for the future are new challenges, and a solid life insurance strategy can help with accommodating the needs of a growing family in a new phase of life.

A life insurance policy’s benefits can replace income, pay off debts, cover funeral costs, finance long-term care, and much more. And replacing income doesn’t refer only to the income provided by one working parent. Replacing the loss of income provided by a stay-at-home parent is just as important.

According to a 2019 survey, the salary of a stay-at-home mom is $178,201.¹ That number factors in important services like childcare, keeping up the household, and transportation. And sudden loss of those services can be devastating to the way a family functions and expensive to replace.

Stay-at-home parents need life insurance coverage, too.

Congratulations, newlyweds!

“To have and to hold, from this day forward…”

At a time like this, there are 3 more “I dos” for you to consider:

1. Do you have life insurance? Any discussion about life insurance is going to start with this question, so let’s get it out of the way! As invigorated as people feel after finding the love of their life…let’s face it – they’re not invincible. The benefits of life insurance include protecting against loss of income and covering funeral expenses. Many of these benefits can depend on what kind of life insurance you have. Bottom line: having life insurance is a great way to show your love for years to come – for better OR worse.

2. Do you have the right type and amount of life insurance? Life insurance policies are not “one size fits all.” There are different types of policies with different kinds of coverage, benefits, and uses. Having the right policy with adequate coverage is the key to protecting your new spouse in the event of a traumatic event – not just loss of life. Adequate life insurance coverage and optional riders may help keep your spouse afloat in the case of an unexpected disabling injury or if long term care is needed. Your life with your spouse isn’t going to be one size fits all, and your life insurance policy won’t be either – for richer or poorer.

3. Do you have the right beneficiaries listed on your policy? This question is particularly important if you had an existing policy before marriage. Most newlyweds opt for listing each other as their primary beneficiary, and with good reason: listing the correct beneficiary will help ensure that any insurance payout will get delivered to them – in sickness and in health.

The kids (finally) moved out!

Now you can plan those vacations for just the two of you, delve into new hobbies you’ve always wanted to explore… and decide whether or not you should keep your life insurance as empty nesters.

The answer is YES!

Why? Even though you and your spouse are empty nesters now, life insurance still has real benefits for both of you. One of the biggest benefits is your life insurance policy’s death benefit. Should either you or your spouse pass away, the death benefit can pay for final expenses and replace the loss of income, both of which can keep you or your spouse on track for retirement in the case of an unexpected tragedy.

What’s another reason to keep your life insurance policy? Some life insurance policies have cash value. Now that the kids have moved out and are financially stable on their own, the cash value of certain life insurance policies can be used for retirement or an emergency fund. If your retirement savings took a hit while you helped your children finance their college educations, your life insurance policy might have you covered. Utilizing the cash value has multiple factors you should be aware of before making any decision.*

Credit scores are determined by credit reports, which are built over time by those who utilize credit.

However, there is a sizeable portion of the United States population, numbering in the tens of millions of individuals[i], who either have no credit history, credit history that’s too limited to provide a score, or credit history that’s too old to provide a score. These people may be rejected by lenders simply because they can’t prove their creditworthiness.

A large segment of these citizens are either just becoming adults and have yet to build a score, have little access to today’s modern financial system, or are from older generations who no longer need loans and thus their history has become “stale” or too old for scoring purposes. New immigrants who have no credit history in the United States also face this issue. The invisibles tend to cluster in dense urban centers or in small, rural towns, and, according to the latest Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s report, lack of internet access seems to have a stronger correlation to credit invisibility than access to a physical bank branch.[ii]

The detriment of credit invisibility
It might seem better to always cover your bills with cash and simply save up for whatever items you wish to purchase. And this is generally a sound practice. However, if doing this leads to credit invisibility, it may have a detrimental effect on your financial life.

Most people – even if they have enough money on hand to cover normal bills and the occasional emergency – might someday want to purchase a home, start a business, or need a new car. It’s not usual that someone could pay for these high-dollar items with cash. Entering a loan agreement for any of these situations may be something you choose to do if the benefits seem to outweigh the costs, and if you have a solid strategy in place to repay the loan. If you can’t prove your creditworthiness, it might be more difficult to secure a loan for these things.

How to avoid being credit invisible
If you are credit invisible because you have little to no assets and lenders refuse to open accounts for you, one possibility is obtaining a secured credit card.[iii] The cardholder deposits cash and the deposit amount is usually the credit limit. The issuer has zero liability against your non-repayment, because they already have the money. Using a secured card and paying the balance back on time helps you build a credit history if you have none.

Once you’ve started to build a history, you may be able to apply for a “real” credit card. At that point, you’ll want to be cautious with your spending (according to a budget, of course) and always make sure to pay your bill on time, especially in full whenever possible so you can avoid interest. Then you should be on your way to establishing a solid credit history, which may help you with other milestones in life, like buying a home, replacing an old car, or even starting a new business venture with a friend.

Does it seem like only yesterday that you were welcoming your first child into your family? How quickly the years go by…

How amazing it is to see your children growing and maturing as they hit milestone after milestone! Before you know it, that kindergarten diploma will be traded in for a high school one! In every new season of life, your family’s needs change and evolve as quickly as your kids do.

A really big need to consider while the kids are still young? Financing college tuition. College Board reported that the average 2017-2018 tuition plus room and board for an American in-state, 4-year public college was $20,770, whereas the same for the average private college cost $46,950. No one can guess what those costs might be in 5, 10, or 15 years.   If you choose to help finance your child’s tuition, make sure you’re not doing it at the expense of saving for your own retirement. It can be a challenge to save for a college education and your own future. Here’s a thought. If it gets difficult, imagine the look on your child’s face if she gets into her dream college and doesn’t have to turn it down because of the cost. You can also imagine the feeling of serenity that you and your spouse could experience with a well-funded retirement. With a solid financial strategy, the potential you create for both of these scenarios is worth all the sacrifice you might need to make now.

How can you protect this sacrifice? Life insurance is more important now for your family than ever. As you and your loved ones take new steps – whether that’s winding down into retirement or revving up into adult life – life insurance can help make sure everyone stays on track with their goals in the event of a sudden death or other unexpected life event.

The proper life insurance policy can help cover expenses including your child’s college tuition and replace income for your spouse to continue down their road to retirement.

Many people get life insurance after one of life’s big milestones:

• Getting married
• Buying a house
• Loss of a loved one
• The birth of a baby

And while you can get life insurance after your baby is born or even while the baby is in utero (depending on the provider), the best practice is to go ahead and get life insurance before you begin having children, before they’re even a twinkle in their mother’s eye.

A reason to go ahead and get life insurance before a new addition to the family?

Pregnancies can cause complications for the mother – for both her own health and the initial medical exam for a policy. Red flags for insurance providers include:

• Preeclampsia (occurs in 5-10% of all pregnancies)
• Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (affects 9.2% of women)
• High cholesterol (rises during pregnancy and breastfeeding)
• A C-section (accounts for 32% of all deliveries)

Also, the advantage of youth is a great reason to go ahead and get life insurance – for both the mother and father.

The younger and healthier you are, the easier it is for you to get life insurance with lower premiums. It’s a great way to prepare for a baby: establishing a policy that will keep them shielded from the financial burden of an unexpected and traumatic life event.

Whether you’re a new parent or beginning to consider an addition to your family, contact me today, and we can discuss your options for opening a policy with enough coverage for a soon-to-be-growing family or updating your current one to include your new family member as a beneficiary.