The kids (finally) moved out!

Now you can plan those vacations for just the two of you, delve into new hobbies you’ve always wanted to explore… and decide whether or not you should keep your life insurance as empty nesters.

The answer is YES!

Why? Even though you and your spouse are empty nesters now, life insurance still has real benefits for both of you. One of the biggest benefits is your life insurance policy’s death benefit. Should either you or your spouse pass away, the death benefit can pay for final expenses and replace the loss of income, both of which can keep you or your spouse on track for retirement in the case of an unexpected tragedy.

What’s another reason to keep your life insurance policy? The cash value of your policy. Now that the kids have moved out and are financially stable on their own, the cash value of your life insurance policy can be used for retirement or an emergency fund. If your retirement savings took a hit while you helped your children finance their college educations, your life insurance policy might have you covered.Utilizing the cash value has multiple factors you should be aware of before making any decision.*

Contact me today, and together we’ll check up on your policy to make sure you have coverage where you want it - and review all the benefits that you can use as empty nesters.

Congratulations, newlyweds!

“To have and to hold, from this day forward…”   At a time like this, there are 3 more “I dos” for you to consider:   1. Do you have life insurance? Any discussion about life insurance is going to start with this question, so let’s get it out of the way! As invigorated as people feel after finding the love of their life…let’s face it – they’re not invincible. The benefits of life insurance include protecting against loss of income, covering funeral expenses, gaining potential tax advantages, and having early access to money. Many of these benefits can depend on what kind of life insurance you have. Bottom line: having life insurance is a great way to show your love for years to come – for better OR worse.*

2. Do you have the right type and amount of life insurance? Life insurance policies are not “one size fits all.” There are different types of policies with different kinds of coverage, benefits, and uses. Having the right policy with adequate coverage is the key to protecting your new spouse in the event of a traumatic event – not just loss of life. Adequate life insurance coverage can help keep you and your spouse afloat in the case of an unexpected disabling injury, or if you’re in need of long term care. Your life with your spouse isn’t going to be one size fits all, and your life insurance policy won’t be either – for richer or poorer.   3. Do you have the right beneficiaries listed on your policy? This question is particularly important if you had an existing policy before marriage. Most newlyweds opt for listing each other as their primary beneficiary, and with good reason: listing the correct beneficiary will help ensure that any insurance payout will get delivered to them– in sickness and in health.   If you couldn’t say “I do” to any or all of these questions, contact me. It would be my pleasure to assist you newlyweds – or not-so-newlyweds – with a whole NEW way to care for each other: tailored life insurance coverage – ’til death do you part!

Credit scores are determined by credit reports, which are built over time by those who utilize credit.

However, there is a sizeable portion of the United States population, numbering in the tens of millions of individuals[i], who either have no credit history, credit history that’s too limited to provide a score, or credit history that’s too old to provide a score. These people may be rejected by lenders simply because they can’t prove their creditworthiness.

A large segment of these citizens are either just becoming adults and have yet to build a score, have little access to today’s modern financial system, or are from older generations who no longer need loans and thus their history has become “stale” or too old for scoring purposes. New immigrants who have no credit history in the United States also face this issue. The invisibles tend to cluster in dense urban centers or in small, rural towns, and, according to the latest Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s report, lack of internet access seems to have a stronger correlation to credit invisibility than access to a physical bank branch.[ii]

The detriment of credit invisibility
It might seem better to always cover your bills with cash and simply save up for whatever items you wish to purchase. And this is generally a sound practice. However, if doing this leads to credit invisibility, it may have a detrimental effect on your financial life.

Most people – even if they have enough money on hand to cover normal bills and the occasional emergency – might someday want to purchase a home, start a business, or need a new car. It’s not usual that someone could pay for these high-dollar items with cash. Entering a loan agreement for any of these situations may be something you choose to do if the benefits seem to outweigh the costs, and if you have a solid strategy in place to repay the loan. If you can’t prove your creditworthiness, it might be more difficult to secure a loan for these things.

How to avoid being credit invisible
If you are credit invisible because you have little to no assets and lenders refuse to open accounts for you, one possibility is obtaining a secured credit card.[iii] The cardholder deposits cash and the deposit amount is usually the credit limit. The issuer has zero liability against your non-repayment, because they already have the money. Using a secured card and paying the balance back on time helps you build a credit history if you have none.

Once you’ve started to build a history, you may be able to apply for a “real” credit card. At that point, you’ll want to be cautious with your spending (according to a budget, of course) and always make sure to pay your bill on time, especially in full whenever possible so you can avoid interest. Then you should be on your way to establishing a solid credit history, which may help you with other milestones in life, like buying a home, replacing an old car, or even starting a new business venture with a friend.

Does it seem like only yesterday that you were welcoming your first child into your family? How quickly the years go by…

How amazing it is to see your children growing and maturing as they hit milestone after milestone! Before you know it, that kindergarten diploma will be traded in for a high school one! In every new season of life, your family’s needs change and evolve as quickly as your kids do.

A really big need to consider while the kids are still young? Financing college tuition. In Canada, citizens can expect to pay an average of $6,571 per year.

And College Board reported that the average 2016-2017 tuition plus room and board for an American in-state, 4-year public college was $20,500, whereas the same for the average private college cost $46,150. No one can guess what those costs might be in 5, 10, or 15 years.   If you choose to help finance your child’s tuition, make sure you’re not doing it at the expense of saving for your own retirement. It can be a challenge to save for a college education and your own future. Here’s a thought. If it gets difficult, imagine the look on your child’s face if she gets into her dream college and doesn’t have to turn it down because of the cost. You can also imagine the feeling of serenity that you and your spouse could experience with a well-funded retirement. With a solid financial strategy, the potential you create for both of these scenarios is worth all the sacrifice you might need to make now.

How can you protect this sacrifice? Life insurance is more important now for your family than ever. As you and your loved ones take new steps – whether that’s winding down into retirement or revving up into adult life – life insurance can help make sure everyone stays on track with their goals in the event of a sudden death or other unexpected life event.

The proper life insurance policy can help cover expenses including your child’s college tuition and replace income for your spouse to continue down their road to retirement. One quick phone call with me is all you need to get the ball rolling. Let’s review your existing policy or get you started on one that can help your family meet their needs – in all seasons of life.

Many people get life insurance after one of life’s big milestones:

• Getting married
• Buying a house
• Loss of a loved one
• The birth of a baby

And while you can get life insurance after your baby is born or even while the baby is in utero (depending on the provider), the best practice is to go ahead and get life insurance before you begin having children, before they’re even a twinkle in their mother’s eye.

A reason to go ahead and get life insurance before a new addition to the family?

Pregnancies can cause complications for the mother – for both her own health and the initial medical exam for a policy. Red flags for insurance providers include:

• Preeclampsia (occurs in 5-10% of all pregnancies)
• Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (affects 9.2% of women)
• High cholesterol (rises during pregnancy and breastfeeding)
• A C-section (accounts for 32% of all deliveries)

Also, the advantage of youth is a great reason to go ahead and get life insurance – for both the mother and father.

The younger and healthier you are, the easier it is for you to get life insurance with lower premiums. It’s a great way to prepare for a baby: establishing a policy that will keep them shielded from the financial burden of an unexpected and traumatic life event.

Whether you’re a new parent or beginning to consider an addition to your family, contact me today, and we can discuss your options for opening a policy with enough coverage for a soon-to-be-growing family or updating your current one to include your new family member as a beneficiary.

Congratulations on earning a college degree!

Your hard work could result in better job prospects (including better benefits for you and your family), greater job security, a bigger income – and years of repaying student loan debt that could adversely affect your retirement savings!

Wait, what?

According to the Young Invincibles ‘Financial Health of Young America’ study, the average retirement accounts of those with a college degree and no student loan debt grew at double the rate of those with a college degree and student loan debt.

That makes sense: if you don’t have loans to pay back, you’ll potentially have more cash early on to set aside for retirement. This puts you in a better position than someone who can’t set aside the same amount because of their student loan debt.

What doesn’t make sense is that your financial future should suffer a setback right on the heels of dedicating yourself to bettering your chances. What an emotional roller coaster – working hard for years to improve your future but having to delay the benefits of your hard work because of debt!

There is a way out. A solid strategy to pay it back along with a well-thought-out plan to help finance your future. I can help you with both.

Contact me today, and together we can work on a strategy that can bring back the excitement of earning that degree!

Life insurance is vitally important for any young family just starting out.

Milestones like buying a home, having a baby, and saving for the future can bring brand new challenges. A solid life insurance strategy can help with accommodating the needs of a growing family in a new phase of life.   A life insurance policy’s benefits can:

• Replace income
• Pay off debt
• Cover funeral costs
• Finance long-term care
• And even more, depending on the type of policy you have.

And replacing family income doesn’t only mean covering the lost income of one earning parent.

Replacing the loss of income provided by a stay-at-home parent is just as important.   According to Salary.com, if a stay-at-home mom were to be compensated monetarily for performing her duties as a mother, she should receive $143,102 annually. That number factors in important services like childcare, keeping up the household, and providing transportation. Sudden loss of those services can be devastating to the way a family functions as well as expensive to replace.   Stay-at-home parents need life insurance coverage, too.   Contact me today to learn more about getting the life insurance coverage you need for your family and building a financial plan that will provide for your loved ones in case a traumatic life event occurs.

Even if you already have a life insurance policy, pay your premiums on time, and know it will be there when you need it most, there’s one more thing to keep in mind…

Major life changes.

Think of your life insurance policy as a member of the family – like someone important you update when anything life-changing happens to you!

Regular reviews of your existing life insurance policy can help you keep it updated due to changes like:

• Getting married or divorced
• Having a baby
• Buying a house
• Heading to college (you or your kids!)

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. What an ideal time for us to meet up and review your current policy – and see how you can make the most of it!

I have some ideas to share about how you can make the most of your existing policy – and what to add to reflect how your life has changed!

Contact me today. Let’s get together to review where you stand.