WHAT TO ASK BEFORE BUYING LIFE INSURANCE

Life insurance is an extremely important part of financial planning, but not many people want to talk about it. To make this topic more accessible, InsurEye is laying out the statistical facts and other useful pieces of information to inform Canadians about life insurance. After discussions with consumers, we have identified the main questions and concerns of Canadians:

• What amount of life insurance should I choose?
• How much insurance protection do I need if I have children?
• What kind of life insurance policy do I need?

QUESTION 1: HOW MUCH LIFE INSURANCE SHOULD I CHOOSE?

If you get Life Insurance, you want make sure that all essential financial aspects are covered so they do not become a burden for your family. These aspects can include:

• Income substitution for your family
• Taking care of your children’s education (e.g. university or college costs)
• Paying down assets (e.g. mortgage on your house, car loan)
• Dealing with outstanding financial debt (e.g. lines of credit, credit card debt)
• Other costs (e.g. funeral)

So, how much life insurance coverage do Canadians choose?

Our data shows that most Canadians choose life insurance under $500k.  We recommend speaking with a knowledgeable insurance broker or insurance representative before making this big decision. There might be other potential financial responsibilities that you have not calculated. If you have children, the costs can be much higher than you think – just take a look at the next section.

QUESTION 2: I HAVE CHILDREN – HOW MUCH LIFE INSURANCE DO I NEED?

If you have kids, there are several areas that you need to calculate into your financial planning:

• Food
• Clothes
• Health Care (e.g. dental services, braces)
• Personal Care (everything from diapers to deodorant)
• School and recreation (school supplies, sports, activities etc.)
• Transportation (E.g. public transit or minivan)
• Housing (E.g. larger house with more bedrooms, furniture, additional utilities etc.)
• Child Care (e.g. nanny, daycare, babysitters)

Overall costs add up to $243,660 as the total cost of raising a child to the age 18. This means $1,070 per month over the course of 19 years. You should consider that this number does not include any post-secondary education costs. Having several children will obviously increase this amount correspondingly. Have you calculated these numbers into your life insurance protection?

QUESTION 3:  WHAT TYPE OF LIFE INSURANCE DO I NEED?

There are several types of life insurance – here is brief overview of different insurance types:

• Term Life: Life protection that will expire at the end of a set term (e.g. after 5, 10, 20 years) and which does not accumulate any value. It is a pure insurance product: simple and easy to understand.
• Universal Life: A combination of life insurance and an investment component. A portion of your premiums go into your account, increasing your net worth. You can choose how the investment component is invested. Universal Life typically comes at a higher cost than a Term Policy.
• Whole Life: One of the most complex life insurance products. Like Universal Life, a Whole Life policy also has both insurance and investment components.  However, they typically offer less flexibility (e.g. the insurer decides how the investment component is invested). This product is also more expensive than Term Life insurance.

While each type of life insurance has its pros and its cons, we believe, the best choice for most people is very often Term Life insurance. It’s the simplest product to understand, it’s the cheapest protection you will get, and it fully fulfills its purpose – to protect.

Please speak with a qualified insurance broker or advisor before making any important decisions associated with such an important topic. This article is provided for educational purposes only.