I recently sat at the funeral of a 53 year old client of mine. His widow who is also his best friend, greeted me with the words, “I love you.” I was referred to this couple about 5 years ago and they became friends as well as clients. I am grateful the life insurance was in place for the needs of his loved ones left behind. We cannot replace him, but we can help lift the financial burden.

I encourage you to ask yourself, “If I die today, do I have enough life insurance in place to pay off my debts and provide for the needs of the people I love?”

I have sold life insurance and have presented many death claims. The first death claim was a 15 year old hit by a car as a pedestrian walking with her parents while on vacation at the beach. The oldest person for whom a death claim was paid was a farmer in his 80’s who was run over by a cow. Most death claims paid, however, have been due to natural causes (cancer, heart, flu, infection).

Over my career, I have found the most important time in your life to have life insurance is when you owe money and are raising children. The best kind of insurance is the kind that is in force when death occurs.

The amount of life insurance, kind of life insurance and length of the policy are all the personal decisions and detail oriented. I encourage you to focus on the big picture and consider what your life insurance needs are today should it ever be needed.