When should I buy life insurance?

No matter what stage of life you are in, Life insurance can benefit you. It will give you peace of mind knowing your loved ones will receive the financial support they need after you die. It is never too soon or too late to buy life insurance.

Types of life insurance

There are two main types of life insurance:

Term – temporary coverage for a set amount of time (10, 15, or 20 years).
Permanent – life insurance that never expires.

Term life is generally cheaper as it only provides coverage for a set amount of time. Whereas, Permanent insurance will cost you more in the short run but may work out less expensive in the long run as your premiums do not tend to increase as you age.

Life insurance in your 20s

In your 20s, you may feel like you are immortal and have many other things on which you want to spend your money. However, you may have responsibilities; student loans that your parents co-signed for or a mortgage with your partner. If something happened to you, your loved ones would be left to pay for that debt; alone. Life insurance could help fill this financial gap.

Life insurance in your 20s is very affordable because you are considered low risk. As a result, you can protect your loved ones for a reasonable premium.

Life insurance in your 30s

By the time you’re in your 30s, you may have several financial responsibilities – including a mortgage and children. If you have only had term insurance up to this point, you may want to consider converting the term to permanent to help give yourself lifelong protection.

Even if you have life insurance through your workplace, you may want to buy additional life insurance. Separate life insurance can help cover you if you lose your job or lock-in rates while relatively young and healthy.

Life insurance in your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond

At this stage in your life, you may still have a mortgage or dependent children. You may have even bought a cottage or a vacation property. No matter your financial responsibilities, if your estate does not have enough cash to cover your liabilities, it is still essential to have life insurance.

Now is an excellent time to lock in permanent insurance. However, if you find the premiums too high or know you only need life insurance for a set amount of time, term life may still work for you.

Your next steps

Now you know about the two main types of life insurance and why it’s crucial to have some form of life insurance in place, no matter your age. If you’re not sure where to go from here, contact us – we can help you figure out your next steps!

When should I buy life insurance?