We Don't Have Children - Do We Really Need Life Insurance?

Tens of millions of American's have no life insurance.  The economy is likely partly to blame but some, like married couples who don't have children, are lacking insurance because they believe there is no need for them to have it.

The simplest way to decide if you need life insurance is to consider whether anyone would suffer financially, if you passed away. There is always the possibility that you might not need life insurance if both you and your partner are employed full time and have no dependents or financial obligations from previous relationships. If one of you were to died, the other may have no issue meeting all of his or her financial obligations.  Having said that, there are many reasons why a couple, even one without children, should think about having life insurance . A few examples are outlined below.

1.  Buying a house that requires both of your incomes, is generally a bad financial decision  but if that is your reality,having a policy that would pay off your mortgage is a smart idea. Dealing with the death of a spouse is hard enough without the added pressure of financial stress and tough decisions regarding the surviving spouse's ability to stay in his or her home.

2.  Debt, credit card or otherwise is another reason to consider life insurance.  Just because some debts are in spouse’s name does not necessarily absolve the other from the responsibility for that debt. In a community property state, a spouse’s debts incurred after getting married may be the responsibility of the other spouse as well; state laws vary. In states not governed by community property law, many creditors will write off the debts of a deceased person when he or she held the credit card in his or her name only, but not always.

3.  Lack of savings is a big reason to consider life insurance. You may want enough life insurance to cover funeral and other final expenses and if you don't have that money in savings when and if something happens, you will be truly glad you thought ahead and had coverage in place..

4.  Protection against future non-insurability can be avoided by purchasing a life insurance policy sooner rather than later. If you developed some type of illness while you did not have life insurance, you may not be able to get a policy. Buying a policy while you’re healthy prevents this from happening.

 5.  Premiums for life insurance will typically go up as you get older. Buy policies now, and you’ll lock in the lower cost. Of course, you’ll also pay premiums for a longer period of time. You have to weigh the pros and cons.

There are many reasons to consider life insurance as a married couple, whether you have children or not. Contact a Pivot Life Insurance Marketplace specialist to find out what's right for you.

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes From Our PivotCare Team Family to Yours

 Healthy and Easy Recipes Your Family will Love!

 

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year to gather with family and friends and remember what is really important in life.  Giving thanks and expressing gratitude for the relationships that nurture us, our good health and our happiness is essential.  Beyond that, Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving without family traditions and our favorite recipes.

The PivotCare Team would like to share some of our favorite family recipes with you!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey, dressing, potatoes, pumpkin pie, the list could go on and on.  Almost everyone has a dish they need to make their Thanksgiving complete. The PivotCare Team is excited to share their must-haves with you.

 

Ken Buccico’s Pumpkin Mousse

2 quarts of milk

4 packages of instant sugar free vanilla pudding

2 containers of fat free cool whip

2 cans of pumpkin

2 tsp. of pumpkin spice or to taste

 

 

 

Mix the milk and pudding as usual until it is firm Add the 2 cans of pumpkin mix, add the cool whip and mix.  Add the pumpkin spice to taste and a drop or two of vanilla.  Enjoy!!

 

Life Insurance Can Give You a Firm Financial Foundation for Raising a Family

Raising your family is a rewarding - and challenging - experience. Being a parent to your kids and a partner to your significant other is important and meaningful. There’s nothing better than spending quality time with your family. Whether you’re about to welcome your first child to the world or you’ve been raising your family for years, your life insurance agent is here to help you make sure you have the right protection and plans in place to meet your family’s needs.

Life insurance can give you a firm financial foundation. When you have children, it is more important than ever to consider purchasing life insurance. And if you already have life insurance, you should work with your trusted insurance agent to make sure you have enough. In some instances, life insurance can provide benefits while you’re living. Life insurance also helps your family after you are gone, with things like the mortgage and auto payments, child care and even college costs. There are a wide variety of life insurance policies, including term or permanent coverage, designed to meet your changing needs as you raise your family.

Term life insurance usually provides the most life insurance coverage for the least cost since you can purchase it to cover a set period of time, for example from the time of purchase to age 65. Term life insurance can help cover your family’s needs during those years when you are buying a home, raising a family, sending your kids to college or building a business. If you decide to go with a term life insurance policy, it is imperative that your length of coverage is carefully planned and calculated to your family’s specific needs. On the other hand, a permanent life insurance policy runs from the time of purchase until the end of the policyholder’s life, regardless of the age when the plan is purchased. There are two variations of permanent life insurance which help you build cash value that you can borrow if you need to: whole and universal life insurance. Whole life insurance combines your life insurance policy with an investment fund, and universal life insurance combines your policy with a money market investment. While you’re living, the life insurance cash value accumulates on a tax-deferred basis. Upon your death, benefits from a permanent plan can be paid to your beneficiaries in a lump sum or through flexible payment options.

If you think you can’t afford life insurance, think again. The truth is that you can’t afford not to have it.  Imagine how your family would make ends meet without being able to rely on your income. Would they have to sell your home, or dip into retirement funds? Life insurance helps you avoid these difficult decisions by providing your family with financial security if you should pass away. Working with a life insurance specialist will help you ensure that your family is covered no matter which type of life insurance policy you decide to buy.  

See more on our PivotCare Team at Pivot.com, your Life Insurance Marketplace for Life's Pivotal Moments.  Get a free life insurance quote today!

Include Life Insurance When Planning for Baby

When you’re thinking about having a baby, life insurance may not be top of mind for you. After all, there are so many things that cross your mind - and wind up on your to do list - when you’re about to become a parent. Just a few of the things you might have to do are select car seats, strollers, a crib, daycare and more. However, there are several times in life when life insurance should be top of mind for you. When you come across major life changes, or Pivotal Moments, you have an opportunity to realize that your current life insurance coverage might not meet current family needs - especially if your family is growing. That’s why your local life insurance expert is here! Life insurance can be a difficult topic to talk about for some of us, but in your area you can find a life insurance expert who is ready to talk to you about your family’s needs. Being fully insured is a great way to make certain your family’s future is secure and that you have peace of mind as your new baby enters your life.

Did you know that more often than not, new parents don’t have enough life insurance to cover the addition of a family member? Even with life insurance policies provided through your employer, that coverage often does not work when you add a newborn to the family. Therefore, purchasing additional life insurance is a great way for you to secure your family’s future. After all, when it comes to life insurance, you want to create a safety net that is large enough for every need your family might have should the unthinkable happen and you pass away. When you are adding a baby to your family, there are several life insurance questions to consider, such as: Do I have life insurance? If I have life insurance, do I have enough? What would it take to cover my family’s financial concerns if I were no longer alive to provide for them?

Your life insurance plan should be just like you: unique. Each family’s life insurance needs are different, so you should work with an insurance provider who understands that the needs, hopes, and dreams that belong to your family are unique to you. It’s also important that you understand the basics of life insurance, so that you can make an informed decision about your family’s future.

So let’s discuss the basics of life insurance. There are two primary types of life insurance policies, and there are ways to personalize each type of plan based on your family’s needs. Permanent life insurance policies run from the time of purchase until the end of the policyholder’s life, regardless of the age you are when you purchase the plan. Two variations to permanent life insurance are whole life insurance and universal life insurance. Whole life insurance combines your life insurance policy with an investment fund, and universal life insurance combines your policy with a money market investment. On the other hand, term life insurance policies are often less expensive than permanent policies, but term policies only cover a specific time period - for example, from the time of purchase to age 65. For a term life insurance plan, there is no investment component which often makes term policies more affordable for many people. If you decide to go with a term life insurance policy, it is imperative that your length of coverage is carefully planned and calculated to your family’s specific needs. Working with a life insurance specialist will help you ensure that your family is covered no matter which type of life insurance policy you decide to buy.

So, do you know how much insurance is right for you and your family? While each family’s needs are different, a typical industry standard is to purchase enough life insurance to replace five to seven years of your salary at a minimum. Knowing this, it’s also important to consider that many families have to also have the financial ability to cover their mortgage, car payments, college tuition, and other monthly bills. So you may need to buy additional life insurance coverage to make sure that these costs are covered. Ideally, your goal in buying a life insurance policy should be for your family to maintain their current lifestyle in the event of your passing. While this may be a difficult concept to grasp for many people, life insurance advisors at Pivot specialize in this type of knowledge. Approaching life insurance from the perspective of wanting your family’s lifestyle to remain constant even if the unthinkable should happen, it’s easy to see how important it is to work with a trusted life insurance provider. We’ll use industry knowledge and proven results to find the life insurance coverage plan that’s right for you and your family.

Having a baby is a monumental change - a Pivotal Moment. You are about to bring another life into this world, and this newborn is going to depend solely on you for everything. And as a new parent, you’ll have so many things on your mind. Between midnight feedings and finding the right daycare, you shouldn’t have to worry about your financial future. Having the right life insurance coverage is crucial to your peace of mind as a new parent.

As you prepare for your new baby, you’ll likely be checking things off your to do list. Make sure one item on your list is to call your local life insurance advisor. They will listen to your needs and plans for the future, and will provide you with life insurance options that work for your budget and lifestyle. When it comes to life insurance, it’s important to work with an insurance provider who you know and trust, and who understands your needs. Life insurance is a serious decision, with lots of aspects to consider, and by working with a trusted advisor, you’re making a great decision for your family’s future. Call your local advisor today to find the right life insurance plan for you and your growing 
family.

See more on our PivotCare Team at Pivot.com, your Life Insurance Marketplace for Life's Pivotal Moments.  Get a free life insurance quote today!

PivotCare Team - Favorite Halloween Costumes

The PivotCare Team families enjoy celebrating Halloween.  You will find some of the best Halloween costumes for babies and children, via our friends at Pinterest/PivotInsurance.  The only thing better than a baby is a baby in a great Halloween costume. Below are some of our favorite creative ideas for babies and toddlers.

1.Oompa Loompa

Green hair and a Wonka Bar? It doesn’t get much cuter!

 2. Holly Golightly from Breakfast At Tiffany

  

Audrey Hepburn's iconic character has some serious competition from this tiny fashionista. 

3.Scuba Diver

This darling little one is making a splash in this amazing costume complete with paci-powered scuba equipment.

4.Haunted House

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5.Gumball Machine

A delightful do-it-yourself costume that is sure to stand out.

6.Clark Kent/Superman

It’s a bird,it’s a plane,it’s….the cutest thing we’ve ever seen!

7.The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Beautiful Butterfly

Brother and sister preciousness based on the  beloved children’s book

8.Pinata

9.Pink Poodle

The sweetest dog on the block !

Elvis

It’s good to be (the) King!

 

See more on our PivotCare Team at Pivot.com, your Life Insurance Marketplace for Life's Pivotal Moments.  Get a free life insurance quote today!

Planning for Retirement-Is Your Life Insurance Working for You?

Life is full of moments when life insurance should be reconsidered or reevaluated. These times are Pivotal Moments - those instances when you’ve reached a turning point or a milestone, and when the foundation of your life changes. Having a baby, buying your first home, and receiving a promotion at work are just a few of these pivotal moments. Another of these moments is when you decide to retire.

Your retirement is most likely something that is well thought out, and for many it feels like it can’t get here soon enough. Life insurance may not be top-of-mind during this time, but it’s something that should be considered carefully once you decide to retire. Retirement is often met with many changes in lifestyle, especially when it comes to your daily lifestyle. Life insurance and whether or not you make changes to your life insurance policy are things you should evaluate when retirement is on your horizon. Retirement is well deserved and should be enjoyed to the fullest. Having your life insurance arranged the right way, for your specific situation, will help you enjoy your retirement worry-free.

What should you do with your life insurance policy when you decide to retire? Some couples cancel their life insurance policies as they enter into retirement. The thought process here is that if retirement is well planned for, there would be no immediate loss of income for the surviving partner, should the policyholder pass away. However this may be an unrealistic expectation and for many retirees, life insurance can make a big difference financially and emotionally if the life insurance policyholder passes away. There are many expenses that arise, such as funeral costs, that could be covered more easily by a life insurance policy.  Having the right life insurance coverage for your situation helps protect your family against unforeseen costs.

In planning for retirement, there are many steps that must be taken. However, we should point out that simply the act of planning is key. When you near retirement, hopefully you’re taking a close look at your financial investments and commitments. Also, you should be closely considering non-financial factors such as your health, your lifestyle, and your plans for the future, especially any major financial investments you may be making. All of these things and more should factor into your retirement planning, which is why you should speak with a professional life insurance representative when evaluating if your life insurance coverage is still right for you. With the help of a professional life insurance expert, you can determine the type of life insurance policy that’s best for you, and the variations of the policy that fit your specific situation as a retiree. Your life insurance advisor will help you ensure that your family’s future is financially secure in the event of your passing. Retirement for many is often referred to as the greatest years of one’s life. Having adequate life insurance can help you truly enjoy your retirement years to the fullest.

Learn more at Pivot.com, your Life Insurance Marketplace for Life's Pivotal Moments.  Get a free life insurance quote today!

Decisions About Life Insurance Come with Marriage

When thinking about your impending marriage you are probably thinking about all of the ways that you will be merging two households and lives for that matter. With so many things to think about, make sure decisions about life insurance aren’t lost in the shuffle. If either of you have life insurance policies already, may have some decisions to make regarding what you want to do with them when you get married.

The first step is to look at your life insurance policy and see if it would be better served by putting it together with your new spouse’s. There are some things that you should remember when you are combining life insurance policies with your new spouse. First of all, when you are examining your life insurance policies, you want to be sure that you are able to benefit from the way that things are set up. For instance, if you have a life insurance policy through work, you might not be able to add your spouse. Talk with your current provider to see what you are able to do with your insurance policy.

If you have purchased life insurance privately before you get married, you want to see if your policies will work if you put them together. Some married couples find it much easier to leave their policies separate, because that way they can be sure that they are both covered. If something happens to one of them, the other will still have the same policy.

On the other hand, many couples end up ending separate policies opting for joint policies instead. It is a good option because they will be able to be covered together and it is usually less expensive. If you both already have policies, you might be able to find a better deal by choose to go with a joint policy.

Life insurance is just another way of loving and protecting each other under even the most unimaginable situations in your marriage .With the right policy in place you can rest easy, knowing that if something should happen to you, your spouse be taken care of.

If you’re engaged, make one of your first steps calling your local life insurance marketplace professional. Your local agent can advise you and your significant other on your existing policies and or new coverage within your budget, as well as how much life insurance you should have in relation to your income, assets, and other factors.

 

See more on Pivot.com, your life insurance marketplace for life insurance when getting married.  Get a free life insurance quote today!