Skip to main content

When you decide to get life insurance, you’re essentially looking beyond yourself. You understand that a life insurance policy is necessary to protect your family after you’re gone. Making a mistake with life insurance can hurt the ones you love most. Fortunately, with some advance preparation and careful thought, you can help avoid these costly errors.

Sometimes, however, circumstances change, and you have to make changes to your life insurance policy to ensure your goals are achieved.

Like everything else in your financial life, life insurance isn’t a one-and-done proposition. It’s very important to review your policy occasionally to help make sure it still meets your needs. In the worst cases, an out-of-date insurance policy can lead to problems for your family when they need help the most.

The life events that should definitely trigger an insurance review are marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, paying off the mortgage, and retirement.

Here are several matters to consider periodically if you have a long-standing life insurance policy:

  1. Paying your mortgage

Ideally, if you’re approaching retirement or have already retired, you should have paid off your home mortgage. Traditionally, lower retirement incomes can make mortgage payments difficult. However, mortgage and other debt is becoming increasingly commonplace among older Americans.[i] In fact, research shows debt levels among retirees over the age of 75 have risen by nearly 20% between 2007 and 2016. Mortgage debt has nearly doubled in the past 20 years.

Financial analysts say eliminating mortgages should be a top priority before retiring.[ii] Without a mortgage you may decide to lower your policy’s face amount—and your premiums—since you won’t need the higher life insurance policy proceeds. The additional income—and lower monthly expenses—will make for more manageable retirement budgets.

  1. Becoming guardians of grandchildren

Sometimes tragedy or misfortune requires you to become your grandchildren’s guardians. More than 6 million children in the United States live with at least one grandparent, which is 9% of the population of children in the country. That’s 56% of children who are not living with their parents.[iii] Reviewing your life insurance policy coverage, which may include adding your new dependents, may help secure your grandchildren’s future.

  1. Divorcing your spouse

Although today’s retirees live longer, the divorce rate among older Americans is climbing. Called “gray divorces,” the rate among people 65 and older has nearly tripled since 1990.[iv] Changes in your marital status may require you to change your beneficiary designations or reduce your coverage. Former spouses generally don’t need the higher protections under joint policies.

  1. Marrying later in life

On the other side of the relationship fence are first-time marriages or remarriages. When you enter into a new relationship, you should revisit your policies (or buy new ones) to ensure your loved ones are insured. Most policies allow you to name primary and contingent beneficiaries.[v]

Life insurance is a critical tool in your financial life, and mistakes can be costly. One of the benefits of working with a financial professional is that he or she can review your entire situation and make recommendations about the role life insurance should play. If you’re ready to make changes to your life insurance policy, give us a call at 303-741-9772. We’re ready to help you make the most of your opportunities.

[i] https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/04/growing-debt-among-older-americans-threatens-retirement.html

[ii] http://time.com/money/5021908/suze-orman-retirement-mortgage/

[iii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2888319/

[iv] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/03/09/led-by-baby-boomers-divorce-rates-climb-for-americas-50-population/

[v] https://www.nasdaq.com/article/love-and-coverage-how-getting-married-changes-your-insurance-cm747579

Important Disclosure Information

Please remember that past performance may not be indicative of future results.  Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended or undertaken by Dechtman Wealth Management, LLC [“DWM”]), or any non-investment related content, made reference to directly or indirectly in this blog will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful.  Due to various factors, including changing market conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions or positions.  Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information contained in this blog serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from DWM. To the extent that a reader has any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issue discussed above to his/her individual situation, he/she is encouraged to consult with the professional advisor of his/her choosing. DWM is neither a law firm nor a certified public accounting firm and no portion of the blog content should be construed as legal or accounting advice. A copy of the DWM’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available for review upon request or at www.dechtmanwealth.com.

Please Note: DWM does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to DWM’s web site or blog or incorporated herein, and takes no responsibility for any such content. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly.

Please Remember: If you are a DWM client, please contact DWM, in writing, if there are any changes in your personal/financial situation or investment objectives for the purpose of reviewing/evaluating/revising our previous recommendations and/or services, or if you would like to impose, add, or to modify any reasonable restrictions to our investment advisory services.  Unless, and until, you notify us, in writing, to the contrary, we shall continue to provide services as we do currently.

Please Also Remember to advise us if you have not been receiving account statements (at least quarterly) from the account custodian.

Join our newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.