Do I really need life insurance?
If you’re supporting your family, then yes you do need life insurance. In order to determine if you need life insurance ask yourself this one simple question: ‘ will your family be OK financially if you pass away? Is anyone depending on your income in order to pay for rent, education, etc.?’
If yes, spending about $10/month on a life insurance policy is not a bad investment. It will offer you a peace of mind for not only you but also your family.
What’s the right kind of life insurance for me?
You need to make two choices: the first is what type of life insurance you want and next you need to determine the amount of coverage you need (basically how much money your beneficiaries will receive).
If you’re unfamiliar there are two different types of insurance:
Term life insurance
The simplest and in most cases the cheapest life insurance is term life. It is used to protect the remaining family members in case you as a freelancer unexpectedly pass away.
How it works: You pick a term (hence the name) and the amount of coverage you want. The term is for how long you think you’ll need life insurance. For example, if you have kids you will want them o be covered until they are adults so you will need about a 20-25 term life insurance policy.
You’ll pay premiums over the duration of the term. The only time your family will be able to receive this during the term so as long as you’re praying your premiums you will be able to use it.
Freelancers Union provides access to Guardian’s term life insurance policy, a flexible, easy-to-use plan designed especially for freelancers. You can look it up at their National Benefits Platform.
Permanent life insurance
Overview: Whereas term life insurance only pays out a benefit within the duration of the term, permanent life insurance is exactly what it sounds like: it’s for life.
How it works: You’ll pick the amount of coverage you want and start paying premiums, which will be high but remain steady.
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