“Expect the unexpected” may be an old cliché but the unexpected can and
does happen. Hoping that it happens to someone else is a very poor
strategy in terms of family protection. To put the matter quite simply, if
you have people who depend on you in any way, you should be checking to see
whether you need life cover.
Protecting my Family – Every Parent’s
Priority
When making a financial plan, it is entirely understandable that people
give priority to their present-day needs before worrying about the
future. It is also understandable that people will think about
common challenges, such as unemployment, rather than highly unusual ones, such
as the death of a younger person. The good news is that insurers also
understand that healthy, young adults are far less likely to die than their
older counterparts. This means that, generally speaking, younger
people can reasonably expect lower insurance premiums.
Understand What You Need – and What
You Can Afford to Pay
The starting point for arranging life insurance is understanding what
you absolutely need in order to keep going in the event of the death of one or
more family members. This includes the death of anyone who makes a
significant, non-financial contribution to the household, for example a
home-maker or care-giver. The tasks these people do will still need
to be done in the event of their death – and they will need to be paid
for. This forms your baseline in terms of taking out
cover. If you can afford to pay more than the minimum then you may
choose to do so, to make life a little easier for those left behind after a
bereavement. Alternatively you may prefer to take out a lower level
of cover to have more money available for the present. If, however,
you are unable to afford the minimum level of cover you believe you need, then
it is very advisable to look seriously at ways to make up the shortfall. If,
however, you really can not afford higher premiums at all, then having at least
some cover is usually better than having none.
Choosing the Right Type of
Cover
The first question to ask is whether you need whole-life cover or term
assurance. Whole-of-life cover, as its name suggests, offers
indefinite cover. In other words, as long as you pay the premiums as
agreed, your beneficiaries are guaranteed an eventual pay-out. Term
assurance is cover for an agreed length of time, a term. If you die
within this period, your beneficiaries will receive a payment, otherwise the
policy will simply expire. Choosing which one is best for you
depends on your personal situation. It should be noted however, that
term assurance tends to be less expensive than it’s whole-of-life
counterpart.
The second question to ask is whether or not you expect to need the same
level of cover over the forthcoming years. For example, if the main
purpose of the policy is to cover a mortgage (or other debt), then it may be
appropriate to have a level of cover which decreases over time, along with the
level of debt. If, on the other hand, the main purpose of the
insurance is to provide for the future of young children, then it may be best
to have cover which increases over time, to keep pace with inflation.
The importance of trust
Whatever form of cover you choose, you may wish to consider ring-fencing
the proceeds of the policy into a trust. In simple terms, this
separates the proceeds of the policy from the rest of the
estate. This means that it is kept of out the probate proceedings,
which may be very lengthy and can therefore be made available to the intended
recipients much more quickly.
For more information please do not hesitate to contact Cliff Pocock at
Ward Williams Financial Services Ltd on 01932 830664 or by email on wwfs@wardwilliams.co.uk.
