When to Get Life Insurance?

Life insurance is essential to financial planning, yet many in Easton, MD delay purchasing it. Understanding the right time to get life insurance can significantly affect your family’s financial security.

Marriage

Combining finances with a spouse often means sharing debts and financial responsibilities. It also involves becoming jointly dependent upon each other. Life insurance can ensure the surviving spouse isn’t burdened financially in the event of a tragedy.

Parenthood

The arrival of children is perhaps the most critical time to assess your life insurance needs. It’s crucial to ensure that your children are financially protected and can afford care, education, and living expenses if you’re not around.

Homeownership

Buying a home in Easton, MD, usually involves a mortgage. Life insurance can help ensure your family can keep the home if you pass away unexpectedly. Reevaluate your coverage when you first buy and anytime you upgrade your house.

Career Advancement

As your career progresses and income increases, financial responsibilities and lifestyle costs tend to increase. Updating your life insurance policy to match your current standard of living and new income is essential.

Retirement Planning

Life insurance can be a tool for estate planning, providing tax-efficient ways to pass wealth to the next generation. Whether this is the right way to transfer wealth requires assessing your personal situation, which we at Ashley Insurance can help with.

Life Insurance That’s Right for You

Life insurance is not just about age but about life stages and responsibilities. As your life evolves, your insurance needs change as well. At Ashley Insurance, we understand the complexities of life insurance and can guide you through choosing the right policy for your stage in life. 

Three things you shouldn’t assume when it comes to life insurance

There is a lot of misinformation out there about life insurance. If you want to meet your family’s financial needs, you shouldn’t believe misinformation and make inaccurate assumptions about life insurance. We can help you meet your life insurance needs in Easton, MD at Ashley Insurance.

The following are three things you shouldn’t assume regarding life insurance. 

Buying life insurance is not worthwhile.

Just about every family can benefit from life insurance. Without life insurance, your family’s financial security cannot be guaranteed. 

If you neglect to purchase life insurance, your dependents can face financial difficulties if you pass away unexpectedly. Plan for the unexpected with life insurance coverage. 

Life insurance is not for accumulating savings.

Term life insurance is a type of life insurance that does not accumulate cash value. However, other types of life insurance, like whole life insurance, get cash value.

Whole and universal life insurance offers both a death benefit and a savings component. Therefore, they allow you to accumulate savings while ensuring that your dependents will have financial support if you pass away. 

Only old people need life insurance.

You don’t have to be elderly to benefit from having life insurance. Anyone can benefit from carrying life insurance if they support dependents.

If you invest in a life insurance policy, you’ll have more peace of mind because you’ll know that your dependents will have money to live on if your income is no longer there to provide support.  

Ashley Insurance can give you a quote on a life insurance policy. Consumers in Easton, MD can contact our insurance company today to secure their family’s financial future.

I’m well over sixty. Should I invest in life insurance?

Life insurance can create peace of mind for many people. It’s helpful to know that your family will have access to money in the event of your death. Your beneficiaries will have money to pay for living expenses and perhaps your burial as well. Life insurance has many benefits.

There are different kinds of life insurance that you can invest in to meet your needs as well. Our team at Ashley Insurance is dedicated to helping Easton, MD residents.

What is Life Insurance? 

Life insurance is designed to pay a beneficiary that you designate a set sum of money upon your death. It’s a contract between yourself and an insurance company where you pay a monthly premium in return for coverage. Your beneficiary can use the money they get in any way they choose.

I’m well over sixty. Should I invest in life insurance?

Life insurance may be a vital necessity if you’re sixty years old and don’t have one. At this age, if you were to pass away, you’d likely leave your family with debt or challenge their lifestyle.

You’re at a pivotal age where transitions and change may be rapidly occurring. Having the right kind of security in the form of life insurance can be extremely beneficial as you continue to age. It not only has the ability to create peace of mind for you but your family as well.

This is a time when you need to evaluate your life and your financial goals. Life insurance can help with this.

Get The Right Coverage For Your Needs

If you have questions about life insurance as an older person, call us at Ashley Insurance. We’d be happy to help you explore your options in Easton, MD.

Reasons You Need Life Insurance

While most people are counting their pennies these days, the truth is that you may want to consider getting at least a little life insurance. It may be worth the added cost, just in case. Consult with Ashley Insurance in Easton, MD to learn more about your options.

Here are some reasons why you need life insurance:

If your family relies on your income, you need to have life insurance

It will allow them to have time to make decisions, instead of having to make rash decisions that they may regret later. They may be able to keep the house, or at least come to their own conclusion about whether or not they want to sell the house. 

It can help pay funeral expenses

Most people don’t plan ahead when it comes to their funerals. Your family could have to pay out a few thousand dollars once you are gone. 

It may even help them pay off debt

Your family may be able to use your life insurance money to pay off their (or your) debt with the life insurance money. This can leave them on a much better footing when it comes to their financial health. 

Though you may not want to waste any money, think about your family’s future. Are they going to be lost without your income? Will they struggle to make ends meet? Can they pay for your funeral or even keep their heads above water? If not, you should seriously consider getting life insurance. Even if it just gives them a few months to make some decisions, it is going to be worth every penny! 

Give Us A Call

If you want to make sure that your family is protected, you need to speak to a professional. Don’t hesitate to contact us today at Ashley Insurance in Easton, MD.

What Are the Different Types of Life Insurance Policies?

Life insurance is one of those things that most people don’t like to think about. But it’s important to have the correct type of coverage for your situation.

There are many different types of life insurance policies from which you can choose, so let’s look at some of them now: term life, whole life, universal life, and variable life.

  • Term Life Insurance: Term life is a type of basic insurance that’s relatively affordable and pays a death benefit if you die within the term – or period mentioned in your policy. The time can vary from as little as five years, but it typically ranges from 10-to 30 years. It doesn’t build any cash value and only covers the insured person or people for a specific period.
  • Whole Life Insurance: It is also known as permanent insurance because it isn’t designed to expire. This policy builds cash value and will typically pay a death benefit when the insured person dies, no matter how long they live. You’ll have to pay premiums until you die, but you can get back some of your premiums when you cancel the policy.
  • Universal Life Insurance: Universal life insurance is like whole life because it builds cash value and offers the option to cash out your policy or borrow against it. It will also pay your beneficiaries a death benefit when you die. But unlike whole life, universal life doesn’t have to be paid indefinitely, so the premiums can go down if you choose not to pay them after an initial period.
  • Variable Life Insurance: Variable life insurance has many similarities to whole life since it’s technically permanent insurance. But there are some significant differences between the two types of policies. You can invest in a sub-account that allows you to choose how much you’re willing to pay and what kind of investments you want your money to go toward. This way, you can have greater control over your investments.

There are many different policies to choose from, but it’s crucial for you to research and know exactly what type of coverage will work best for your situation. Looking for life insurance in Easton, MD? Ashley Insurance can help. Call us today to learn more.

 

When To Review Your Life Insurance Policy

Life insurance is the most important thing you can do to secure the future for your loved ones. Many take out a policy, then put it away until it’s needed. Ashley Insurance wants our Easton, MD residence to understand why regular review of your life insurance policy is as important as having one in the first place.

Why Review Your Insurance Policy?

Life is constantly changing. Our families grow, we move, we run into obstacles. These changes can greatly affect our insurance needs. It’s recommended that policy-holders review their insurance at least once per year. However, there are other significant life events that call for a coverage adjustment. We’ve listed some of them below.

Review Your Insurance During Important Life Events

Family Size Changes 

This includes when you marry or divorce. The birth or adoption of a child or grandchild is also cause for a life insurance review. Consider adjusting if you are financially supporting another family member, such as a parent or sibling. 

Health Changes

A significant change to your health or that of your partner is cause to review your life insurance. This is particularly important for critical conditions like cancer. It may also be important to review when a loved one, such as a child, needs long-term care.

Other Changes

Adjustments should be made whenever you come into an inheritance. Additionally, make a review whenever you purchase a new home or refinance your home.

These are just a few of the significant life changes that require a review of your life insurance policy. Whenever you need to make important life insurance decisions, Ashley Insurance is here to help our Easton, MD neighbors every step of the way. Reach out to us by phone or online today.

A Life Insurance Introduction

A life insurance policy provides a financial contract between an insurance company and a policyholder. Some of these contracts pay a specific sum of money to the beneficiaries at the policyholder’s death. Others provide a death benefit plus a cash value account that lets the policyholder save money pre-tax.

Two Main Types of Life Insurance

You can find two types of life insurance — whole life and term policies. Ashley Insurance, serving Easton, MD, offers both types. A whole life policy requires the policyholder to pay premiums regularly, whether monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually. One type of whole policy requires only a lump-sum premium payment to fund it.

A term policy provides a death benefit to the beneficiary if the policyholder dies during the term and requires premium payments only during the years of the policy term. These terms typically last for 10, 20, 30, or 40 years. While term policies all essentially work the same way, whole policies include a great deal of variation. 

How Whole Policies Vary

Most whole policies provide only the death benefit, but you can obtain a whole policy with a cash value component. Some of these cash value accounts contribute a portion of the monthly premium, while the other portion goes into a savings account. Some of these savings accounts provide a specific interest rate, while others earn in an investment account. The investment account may use a money market format, or it might link to an index fund.

Once only used by high-income earners, cash value accounts now provide options for those making normal incomes. You can obtain a cash value account with a death benefit of $70,000.

These cash value whole life policies provide a pre-tax method of saving. Many of the policies guarantee a certain interest rate or earnings minimum. You can borrow against them for loans or withdraw from them while you continue to pay the premiums. In some cases, this temporarily reduces the death benefit of the policy. It increases again once the policyholder repays the loan or withdrawals. The whole life policies with cash value accounts include universal life, guaranteed universal, variable universal, and indexed universal.

Contact Ashley Insurance, serving Easton, MD, for more information on life insurance and how to obtain coverage. Let us help you obtain the policy you need to provide for your beneficiaries.

What type of life insurance is best for me

Life insurance is something you do for your family. But few people know a lot about it. Many people get a life insurance policy as part of a benefits package from their employer, and they leave it at that. This is not really a good idea, especially if you are the type who likes to change jobs every few years. If you have to take over the payment yourself when you leave your job, you will likely be paying more than you need. Getting a new policy as you get older gets more expensive. At Ashley Insurance in Easton, MD, we are a locally owned independent agency dedicated to getting you the best insurance for the right premium. 

Deciding what type of life is best for you depends on a couple of things. Your age, how long you want your policy to last, and do you want to have more than just a death benefit. 

Term Life

Term life insurance has a period of being active. It only lasts for a given number of years. When the term of your policy ends, the policy is gone. Some term policies allow you to extend the term, but if it is 20 years later, you won’t be paying the same amount you did when you took it out. The premiums are affordable and if you need a large amount to protect a growing family, this is a good option. 

Whole Life

Whole life insurance lasts for your whole life. It earns dividends, and it allows you the option to borrow from the accumulated cash value. It is an easy way to save while getting protection, but it cost more than term life. 

Both types of life insurance have benefits and drawbacks, and you probably should have both as part of your financial plans. Talk to the team at Ashley Insurance in Easton, MD to discuss your life insurance needs. Come into our office or give us a call for a no-obligation quote.

How Can Life Insurance Protect Me in Maryland?

When you think of life insurance in Easton, MD, your first thought might be that it’s designed to protect your loved ones should something happen to you. Whether it’s your spouse, parents, children, or other loved one, you’ll know that they’ll be taken care of even if you’re not there to help. But Ashley Insurance wants you to know that there are a wide variety of policies, some that may be able to help you should you need it somewhere down the road. 

Permanent Life Insurance Policies 

Many permanent life insurance policies come with the option for you to use your plan as an asset rather than just a standard insurance plan. If you need to borrow from your life insurance, should you need it for an unexpected expense (e.g., home repairs, grandchild’s education, etc.), you can secure a policy that will help. Many people will use this as a safety net along with the rest of their portfolio. It’s an excellent way to augment your worth and diversify your interests. 

Find Out More 

If you’re interested in learning more about which plans are available, what will happen if you need to use them, and how they will help your loved ones after you’re gone, Ashley Insurance is here to help the people of Easton, MD start getting the answers they need. Unlike term policies, which will run out of time and expire, a permanent life insurance policy is available for as long as you need it.

Don’t hesitate to give us a call if you’re looking to upgrade your policy, or you’re just shopping around for a quote. We help people from all walks of life start making the long-term plans that keep them secure well into their Golden Years.