By Mike Gregory
Life insurance can be a complicated product, Akron Ohio. As simple as term life policies are many elements must be considered carefully in order to arrive at the right type and amount. It is the technical aspects of life insurance that are less difficult for most people to understand. It is the calculating on how much life insurance coverage they need and why that causes them to wonder.
What you will read will briefly take a look the some of the most common myths pertaining to life insurance and the truths that they sometimes distort.
First Myth: The amount of life insurance coverage, I need, is equal to twice the amount of my annual salary. That depends. You need an amount of life insurance equal to the amount that is actually required. In addition to obvious bills and expenses, you may need to pay off larger debts such as the mortgage and provide an income for a number of years. A cash flow analysis is usually helpful in order to determine the actual amount of insurance that must be bought - the days of simply computing life coverage based only on one's income earning ability is long gone.
Second Myth: I'm single with no kids, with that being said, why should I spend money on life insurance? As a single person, there are still your final expenses, that is reason enough to have life insurance. If you are uninsured in Akron Ohio, you may leave a burden of these expenses for your family or executor to deal with. Moreover, this can be a good way for low-income singles to do something good for their favorite charity.
Third Myth: My life insurance coverage, through my employer, is sufficient. This could be. For a single person and few bills, employer-provided term coverage is probably enough. But if you have a family, with kids, your needs may be greater. Plus, in most cases, that employer plan does not go with you when you leave that job.
Myth No.4: At least the cost of my premiums will be deductible. Not in most cases. The cost of personal life insurance is never deductible unless the policyholder is self-employed in Akron Oh and the coverage is used to insure the business. Then the premiums are deductible on the Schedule C of the Form 1040.
Myth No.5: I absolutely MUST have life insurance at any cost. In many cases, this is probably true. However, persons with no debt or dependents and sizable assets may be better off self-insuring. If you have no debt and medical and funeral costs are covered, and then life insurance coverage may be optional.
Sixth Myth: I should have some life insurance no matter what the cost. In some cases, this is probably true. With that being said, if you have no debt or children and enough assets you may be better off self-insuring. If you have no debt and medical and funeral costs are covered, and then there is no need for life insurance.
There is also the chance of being uninsurable, which could be disastrous for those who may have estate tax issues will use life insurance to pay them. But this risk can be eliminated with permanent coverage, which can become paid up after a certain amount of premiums have been paid and then remains in force the rest of your life.
Myth No.7: Variable universal life policies are always superior to straight universal life policies. Many universal policies pay competitive interest rates, and variable universal life (VUL) policies contain several layers of fees relating to both the insurance and securities elements present in the policy. Therefore, if the variable sub accounts within the policy do not perform well; the variable policyholder may well see a lower cash value compared to a non variable universal life policy.
Poor market performance can even generate substantial cash calls inside variable policies that requires additional premiums to be paid in order to keep the policy in force.
Eighth Myth: Only the one making the money needs life insurance coverage. This is pure nonsense. The cost to replace the responsibilities that were provided by a deceased homemaker can be higher than you think; the costs for cleaning and daycare are higher than you think.
Myth No.9: I should always purchase the return-of-premium (ROP) rider on any term policy. There are usually different levels of ROP riders available for policies that offer this feature. Many financial planners will tell you that this rider is not cost-effective and it should be avoided. Whether you include this rider or not, will depend on your risk tolerance and your other possible investment objectives.
A cash flow analysis will reveal whether you could come out ahead by investing the additional premium amount, of the rider elsewhere, instead of putting it into the policy. Riders are available to provide additional benefits that help you customize your policy.
Tenth Myth: I will be better off investing my money in Akron Ohio than buying life insurance of any kind. Complete nonsense. Until you reach the breakeven point of asset accumulation, you need life coverage of some amount. Once you amass $1 million of liquid assets, you can consider whether to discontinue, or reduce, your million-dollar policy. But you take a big chance when you depend solely on your investments in the early years of your life, especially if you have children. If you die without coverage for them, there may be no other means to provide for them after they have used up all of your saved assets.
In conclusion, these are just some of the more prevalent misunderstandings concerning life insurance that the public faces today. The key concept to understand is that you shouldn't leave life insurance out of your budget unless you have enough assets to cover expenses after your death.
Life insurance can be a complicated product, Akron Ohio. As simple as term life policies are many elements must be considered carefully in order to arrive at the right type and amount. It is the technical aspects of life insurance that are less difficult for most people to understand. It is the calculating on how much life insurance coverage they need and why that causes them to wonder.
What you will read will briefly take a look the some of the most common myths pertaining to life insurance and the truths that they sometimes distort.
First Myth: The amount of life insurance coverage, I need, is equal to twice the amount of my annual salary. That depends. You need an amount of life insurance equal to the amount that is actually required. In addition to obvious bills and expenses, you may need to pay off larger debts such as the mortgage and provide an income for a number of years. A cash flow analysis is usually helpful in order to determine the actual amount of insurance that must be bought - the days of simply computing life coverage based only on one's income earning ability is long gone.
Second Myth: I'm single with no kids, with that being said, why should I spend money on life insurance? As a single person, there are still your final expenses, that is reason enough to have life insurance. If you are uninsured in Akron Ohio, you may leave a burden of these expenses for your family or executor to deal with. Moreover, this can be a good way for low-income singles to do something good for their favorite charity.
Third Myth: My life insurance coverage, through my employer, is sufficient. This could be. For a single person and few bills, employer-provided term coverage is probably enough. But if you have a family, with kids, your needs may be greater. Plus, in most cases, that employer plan does not go with you when you leave that job.
Myth No.4: At least the cost of my premiums will be deductible. Not in most cases. The cost of personal life insurance is never deductible unless the policyholder is self-employed in Akron Oh and the coverage is used to insure the business. Then the premiums are deductible on the Schedule C of the Form 1040.
Myth No.5: I absolutely MUST have life insurance at any cost. In many cases, this is probably true. However, persons with no debt or dependents and sizable assets may be better off self-insuring. If you have no debt and medical and funeral costs are covered, and then life insurance coverage may be optional.
Sixth Myth: I should have some life insurance no matter what the cost. In some cases, this is probably true. With that being said, if you have no debt or children and enough assets you may be better off self-insuring. If you have no debt and medical and funeral costs are covered, and then there is no need for life insurance.
There is also the chance of being uninsurable, which could be disastrous for those who may have estate tax issues will use life insurance to pay them. But this risk can be eliminated with permanent coverage, which can become paid up after a certain amount of premiums have been paid and then remains in force the rest of your life.
Myth No.7: Variable universal life policies are always superior to straight universal life policies. Many universal policies pay competitive interest rates, and variable universal life (VUL) policies contain several layers of fees relating to both the insurance and securities elements present in the policy. Therefore, if the variable sub accounts within the policy do not perform well; the variable policyholder may well see a lower cash value compared to a non variable universal life policy.
Poor market performance can even generate substantial cash calls inside variable policies that requires additional premiums to be paid in order to keep the policy in force.
Eighth Myth: Only the one making the money needs life insurance coverage. This is pure nonsense. The cost to replace the responsibilities that were provided by a deceased homemaker can be higher than you think; the costs for cleaning and daycare are higher than you think.
Myth No.9: I should always purchase the return-of-premium (ROP) rider on any term policy. There are usually different levels of ROP riders available for policies that offer this feature. Many financial planners will tell you that this rider is not cost-effective and it should be avoided. Whether you include this rider or not, will depend on your risk tolerance and your other possible investment objectives.
A cash flow analysis will reveal whether you could come out ahead by investing the additional premium amount, of the rider elsewhere, instead of putting it into the policy. Riders are available to provide additional benefits that help you customize your policy.
Tenth Myth: I will be better off investing my money in Akron Ohio than buying life insurance of any kind. Complete nonsense. Until you reach the breakeven point of asset accumulation, you need life coverage of some amount. Once you amass $1 million of liquid assets, you can consider whether to discontinue, or reduce, your million-dollar policy. But you take a big chance when you depend solely on your investments in the early years of your life, especially if you have children. If you die without coverage for them, there may be no other means to provide for them after they have used up all of your saved assets.
In conclusion, these are just some of the more prevalent misunderstandings concerning life insurance that the public faces today. The key concept to understand is that you shouldn't leave life insurance out of your budget unless you have enough assets to cover expenses after your death.
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