Many seniors, or even middle aged people over 50, get ads for a life insurance product called final expense insurance. Since a lot of life insurance products are marketed to younger people, they may not understand why they may need a life insurance policy. However, even though seniors may have retired, they may not have outlived a good use for life insurance.
Plan For A Funeral
Seniors, or their children, may know that funerals can cost $8 – $10 thousand dollars these days! Sometimes it is hard to come up with that much cash to pay for a nice funeral. In addition, some family may need to travel. Others will certainly need to take time off of work. A body may need to be transported. It is never fun to think about a loved one passing away. But still, many people plan for this event.
A final expense life insurance policy can be a simple and affordable way to make sure that the funeral, and other expenses, can get paid for.
Sometimes seniors buy a policy for themselves, and sometimes, children or caretakers purchase the policy. If the seniors buy the policy, they set the beneficiary to the people who will be responsible for making final arrangements.
Settling Debts
If elderly people still owe money, many want to make sure that their children or grandchildren do not have a burden to worry about when they pass away. A final expense plan provides cash, so these debts can be paid off. Again, a senior may purchase a plan so the kids get cash, or the kids may own the policy on the elderly person. That way they make sure they have the money to settle debts and pay off medical bills without any problems.
Transfer Money To The Next Generation
Most of the time, proceeds from a life insurance policy are tax free. If a parent or grandparent would like to make sure that their descendants get some money when the pass away, a seniors life insurance policy can be an easy way to plan for this.
Seniors Life Insurance Is Designed For Easy Issue
You can find simplified or guaranteed issue life insurance policies. That means that most seniors, in reasonable health, can qualify for a final expense plan.
With guaranteed issue policies, nobody is turned down. The drawbacks are that rates will be higher than with simplified issue, and the death benefit may not be immediate. It usually has a waiting period of 2 – 3 years before the full benefit will be paid. If the covered person passes away before that, it usually refunds premiums, sometimes with interest.
Simplified issue plans ask some health questions, but are still written for reasonably healthy older people. The death benefit should be immediate and premiums will be less than guaranteed issue plans. If a senior does not want to answer any health questions, insurers know they are taking on a bigger risk, and so they charge accordingly.
Either way, many older people will benefit from a life insurance policy. They will have the security of knowing that they have planned for their passing.
Source by Marilyn Katz
