man hugging pregnant woman

Before you can get the life insurance coverage you need, you need to understand why you need it. While there aremany reasons to buy life insurance, the most common reasons include:

  1. Final expenses:Final expenses refer to any expenses related to someones passing. This can include a casket, funeral, preparations, memorial service, cremation and more.

Life insurance for final expenses is worth consideringafter all, theNational Funeral Directors Associationreports that the median price of a funeral with a casket is more than $7,000.Funeral directorssay families without enough funds are forced to cut back on the service or ask friends and family for donations. A modestterm life insurancepolicy can unburden your loved ones by taking care of these expenses.

  1. Income replacement:Your loved ones depend on your income to meet daily needs for food, medical care, utilities, car payments and much more. There are also future costs like a childs college education or contributions you would have made toward a surviving spouses retirement. If you pass away without a means for replacing your income, their standard of living could be in serious jeopardy. If you have young children, there may be child care costs or home upkeep expenses to consider if your spouse needs to return to work.

How much life insurance you need is based on two factors: your salary and the number of years until you retire. Aninsurance agentwill also account for any other factors such as Social Security benefits, your partners income and your savings. Always aim to buy the amount you really needbut also remember that something is better than nothing when it comes to life insurance coverage.

  1. Paying off a mortgage:A mortgage is often the biggest single line item in a persons budget. Could your family afford your homes mortgage without your paycheck in the picture? If not, an already sad situation would be compounded by their possibly losing the house they love. This could also mean your children could no longer attend a school in their current district or maintain the friendships they currently have.

Life insurancecan pay off an outstanding mortgage so your family can enjoy the home they love without the burden of outstanding payments.

These are the three most common reasons people purchase life insurance. Yet there are many other reasons for buying life insurance, such as building or leaving an inheritance,saving for retirement,protecting student loan co-signersand more.

Life Insurance=Love Insurance
February is Insure Your Love month and the campaign is coordinated each year byLife Happens. Make sure to connect with yourERIE Agentto insure your love with life insurance.

Life Happens is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping consumers take personal financial responsibility through the ownership of life insurance and related products. Life Happens Pro furthers its mission of educating the public by making its resources customizable and putting them directly into the hands of agents.