My telemarketer was coughing last night.
(First of all, yes, I have telemarketers. Yes, I know it can be annoying, but I've been able to help a lot of people with telemarketers. So please be nice if we happen to give you a call, OK?)
In any case, she was coughing, so I asked if she was going to die on me. She said she thought she might.
"Well, at least talk to me about life insurance first," I told her.
"No, I'm not old enough for life insurance," she said.
OK, hold up. We were joking around, but now we have to have a conversation. In about two minutes I threw together a proposal and made her come sit in the office.
If there is a possibility that someone, at some point in your life, will be financially devastated by your death, you need life insurance.
At 18, she's footloose and fancy free, she's not supporting anyone other than herself.
However, life insurance for her will never get cheaper than it is right now. That's why I have life insurance on my kids.
Plus, there are life insurance options that build up a cash value. That cash value can make the policy pay for itself or even build up enough to pay for other stuff, like a down payment on a home, or to supplement a retirement. The longer the time frame (the younger you are when you buy it), the bigger and quicker the return possibilities. That's also why I have life insurance on my kids.
And it's a whole lot easier to get life insurance before the years start falling behind you, the cholesterol starts collecting in your arteries and the fat starts collecting everywhere. (Technical term here is "protecting your insurability," just in case you're keeping track of buzzwords.) That's another reason I have life insurance on my kids.
So, if she ever thinks she may need a chunk of cash at some point in her life, life insurance is a good way of building that up.
If she ever plans to have kids, she's going to need life insurance. Yes, even for stay-at-home moms. (Do you have any idea how much day care is? That's why my wife stays at home. It's also why I have life insurance on her).
It's kind of like the old joke about trees. The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
The best time to get life insurance is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
