RICAD

Contemplating what may happen to your wife (or husband) and children if you die is not likely to be a thought you wish to contemplate. However, avoiding the issue may make life more difficult for your family after your death.

Life insurance looks set to make a comeback in the UK, after a period of neglect by consumers who were simply occupied with affording a home. The stabilising of the UK house market has made many consumers take a broader view to their personal finances.

LifeSearch (a life insurance broker), in the September issue of Money Observer, highlighted a few common mistakes people make when buying life insurance:

* Believing life insurance is relevant to everyone
Life insurance is only relevant to people who have financial dependents. If you have no financial dependents, it might be more appropriate to consider income protection or critical illness insurance.

* Paying too much for life insurance
According to Money Observer, research for Sainsbury’s Bank Life Insurance revealed that many people take life insurance policies from their mortgage providers and as a result could be paying too much.

* Opting to buy joint life insurance policies instead of single life insurance policies
The advice to married couples is to avoid taking out joint life insurance policies which pay out when the first spouse dies over the term of the policy, but not on the second. Single policies could provide additional cover by paying just an extra £3-4 a month.

* Missing out on a trust
The Tax Man can claim up to 40% of your life insurance payout as inheritance tax. According to Money Observer, those with assets totalling £275,000 or more (including a house) are especially prone to tax inspection. Writing your policy in trust is a way to avoid this and as a trust does not have to go through probate, beneficiaries of the policy will receive the payment without delay.

* Only insuring the main earner
Whilst it is important to cover the main breadwinner, by neglecting to additionally insure the housewife or househusband may result in extra child care costs. Family income benefit (FIB) may be an appropriate policy to put in place.

* Opting for a lump sum over income
If your dependents are likely to require an income, then buying a policy that pays out a lump sum is a mistake. Many people invest lump sums for an income, but when they invest it, they have to pay tax. Family income benefit provides a larger payout – tax free, though the majority of banks and building societies do not offer FIB, so ask an Independent Financial Advisor for recommendations.

* Not proving full medical records or detailing comprehensive medical history
Failure to disclose a complete picture of your health, no matter how trivial, could invalidate a claim later on.

There’s no excuse for not conducting your own homework, as there is an abundance of information available online. Sites such as moneynet, provide not only price comparison research on difference life insurance products, they also offer downloadable consumer product guides.

Do you need affordable term life insurance? This seems to be the million-dollar question. When you want to purchase life insurance you often do not know how much you need or if there is such a thing as having too much life insurance. What constitutes affordable life insurance and how much you need is totally dependant upon your own situation.

Don’t be fooled into determining the amount of insurance you should have to what your best friend or neighbour has. Remember, every situation is unique and your needs will be unique. Your need will be determined by what you wish to see happen in the event of your death. You do have to look at the life insurance cost of the premiums and decide how much you can afford from your monthly budget. There is affordable life insurance available at very low premiums and that will help your family out in the event of your death.

When considering what affordable life insurance is needed in a family situation, you need to do a life insurance comparison. This will help you get the most affordable rates and there are countless life insurance companies able to help you in this regard.

In order to determine how much life insurance you should have, a number of factors need to be considered. For a person with family needs, these may include such things as:
· Do you have dependents? If so, how long will they be dependent upon you?
· Do you have children? If so, how old are they?
· Do you want to insure your children have a post secondary education?
· Will your household income be greatly reduced upon your death? If so, how much income do you need to replace so your family maintains their standard of living?
· How long will you need to replace your household income?
· What taxes may be incurred upon your death?
· Do you need to cover debt obligations such as loans or a mortgage?

When you try to determine whether or not you can afford life insurance, think about whether or not your family can afford to be without affordable life insurance.

You can find affordable term life insurance, but you need to establish exactly what you need first.