Congrats on your engagement! You’re probably busy planning and making arrangements for the big day, but during this fun (and stressful!) time, don’t forget that there is something very important you need to discuss before getting married and sharing your life together: finances. Before making the commitment to forever, you should be clear about what debts and assets you have; once you’ve done this, there’s one more very important thing to talk about, and that’s life insurance. We get it, it’s not the most romantic subject to talk about before tying the knot, but you definitely need to discuss how much life insurance you’ll need to ensure your family’s future financial stability. To make things easier, consider the following so you can figure out what kind of life insurance you’ll both need.
Debts You’re Bringing To The Marriage
You’d probably agree that being open and honest with your partner is very important, right? Well, that includes being open with your soon-to-be spouse about any key financial information; in fact, roughly 42% of couples say transparency about finances is key to a healthy relationship. This is especially true when it comes to any debts that you will be bringing into the marriage, including credit card debt, student loans, or car payments.
If you both have an understanding of what debt you’ll be taking on before getting into the marriage, you’ll be better equipped to come up with a plan to tackle that debt; you’ll also know how much life insurance coverage you’ll both need to keep you financially protected in the future. Remember, if one of you were to pass away, the other could be responsible for some of those debts, so take them into consideration when choosing your policy. You will want to make sure that in the event of your passing, you can still help cover these debts and provide enough for other expenses.
Are You Planning On Having Children?
Do you want to have children someday? Does your partner? If the answer is yes, a lot of other questions will follow, like: Will you be buying a house one day as your family grows? Would you be able to continue taking care of your children on your own if your spouse passed away? Do you plan on helping your children with college expenses? You will need to discuss these questions and figure out how much life insurance coverage will be enough to cover any or all of the scenarios raised above.
Evaluate Your Disability Insurance
In the event that you or your spouse got hurt or disabled, would the disability insurance offered through your job cover your bills? Odds are it would not; in fact, more than half of working Americans could barely afford their bills past the first month of being unable to work. You will both want to be financially protected if the unexpected happens and you are no longer able to provide an income; life insurance disability riders can help you or your spouse keep paying the bills by covering any lost income.
What Kind Of Life Insurance Policy Should You Get?
You have options when choosing a life insurance policy/policies to cover your new family. One thing to consider is whether you plan on having your own life insurance policies or a joint life insurance policy; joint life insurance policies cover both of you, and are generally less expensive than purchasing two policies. If you decide on a joint policy, you have two options: a first-to-die policy, which provides benefits to your spouse after one of you dies, and a second-to-die policy, which pays out benefits to your family after you both have passed. Be aware that after the first-to-die policy’s benefits are paid out, the policy terminates, meaning the surviving spouse would have to get additional coverage if they want to provide benefits for the rest of your family after they pass.
Individual life insurance policies might be a better fit if you want guaranteed protection for each individual; you might also be able to get higher payout benefits when getting your own life insurance policies. The best way to determine which is the best route is to go over your finances and compare plans. You might find that a term life policy is better for your needs, while your spouse might decide on a permanent life policy. Whatever you both choose, it is important to have life insurance for the unexpected, so that neither of you is left struggling.
Talking about your finances before getting married might not seem fun when you are in love and enjoying the good times, but it is necessary, and avoiding the subject will be detrimental to your relationship in the long run. You need to know how much debt you each have and what your future plans are for taking on more debt, so you can figure out exactly how much life insurance coverage you’ll need to protect your family now and in the future. After having the talk, the next step is determining which life insurance policy will best fit your finances and needs; the best way to do this is by working with an agent who specializes in life insurance. We have provided the top life insurance companies in the nation below; each offers hassle-free assistance and the most competitive rates. Always check multiple sites to make sure you have bargaining power and know the advantages of each company. Make sure a hard time isn’t made harder by a financial burden, check life insurance rates today.