The Basic Foundation For Your Family’s Financial Future
If something happened to your spouse today, would you know what to do? Would the death benefit be sent to the current wife, or the ex? If you got into a car accident today, would your home and other valuable assets be protected? September is Life Insurance Month, making it the perfect time to re-evaluate your family’s basic protection needs.
As your family grows and changes,
your insurance needs change
When it comes to building your RichLife, risk transfer is the best possible foundation you can begin with. We talked with RichLife Advisor and owner of American Family Insurance in Buford, Georgia, Jon Silva:
“These days, you can buy insurance from anybody, even Snoopy. You can go online and download a form and get some kind of coverage in place. But you really want to make sure you have a big-picture plan that’s tailored for your family.”
What follows are 4 simple steps you can take to begin building your family a sound financial future today.
- STEP #1: Sit down and talk with a professional who has your best interest in mind. When the unexpected happens, you want to know there is somebody who will walk you through the process. If there is a change in the family – a divorce, a birth, a marriage – you want to know who to call to make sure the necessary documents are updated. If there is a new tax law, you want to make sure your plan changes accordingly.
“When it comes to insurance, there are four basic needs that every family has: Auto, Home, Life coverage for both spouses, and a basic Umbrella coverage to wrap it all together.”
Putting this in place first before allocating resources to stocks and mutual funds is known as Risk Transfer. You are taking steps to protect your assets, and the insurance company assumes the risk for you. The benefits of having a professional on your side will greatly outweigh the extra time it takes to have that meeting and get the proper documents in place.
- STEP #2: Make sure the beneficiary forms are current. This includes spouses from current and previous marriages, as well as children of current and previous marriages.
I had a client tell me a story about a guy who had been married to his beloved wife for 25 years. When he died, there was $385,000 in death benefits. That money was passed on to his ex-wife, and not the dearly beloved current wife, and there was nothing that could be done about it. (And no, wife #1 did not share with wife #2.) Life gets busy. Don’t overlook little details like this that can lead to some very big mistakes.
- STEP #3 Update your policies so they reflect the current situation. You want to revisit your policy every 3 – 5 years to make sure that your coverage reflects your current needs.
I recently had a client come to me who was entitled to receive a death benefit from her husband of forty-five years. Only it had been decades since they had re-visited their coverage amounts. The year before her husband died, the policy had been reduced to ½. This is a common occurrence, because when you are newly married and in your twenties, it makes sense to expect that you will have the mortgage paid off by the time you are sixty-five. But things change, and life happens. Make sure your policies will work with what you have going on today.
- STEP #4: Look for areas where you might be exposed. This is something your insurance professional can do for you as part of their job. You want someone who can point you to the bigger picture. What might save you a few dollars a month today could cost you everything tomorrow. Says Jon:
“I recently helped a successful woman with her family’s policy review. She had done very well with her career and was able to afford both an apartment and a vacation home. But I noticed she was carrying state minimums on all her vehicles. This was one area where she was exposed. What would happen if she got into a bad car accident and was found to be at fault? She would stand to lose all her assets, wiping everything out.”
“It might make sense when you are just starting out to carry minimum coverage, but as your life grows, your policies need to grow with it.”
Before thinking about investment opportunities, make sure you take the time to protect your family. Talk to a professional. Go through these four steps, and get your basic insurance policies set in place. Do this, and you will have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that whatever happens, your family is protected, and your RichLife is secured.
Need a little help with the base of your RichLife pyramid? Visit us at www.richlifefinacial.com and request your policy review today. RichLife Advisor Jon Silva would be happy to talk with you.
Do you have a story about money or a financial question you would like to see addressed? Visit me at www.RichLifeAdvisors.com and click on the Ask Beau button. Your question will help others, and might even be featured on the RichLife Radio Show!