My older sister recently died from a sudden massive heart attack. When I went home to Milledgeville and spoke with my Mother one of the first things that I asked was if there was any life insurance to cover funeral expenses. The next morning my Mother called me in tears saying that no, there was no life insurance and she didn’t know what she was going to do. Being the responsible one in the family and the family “fixer” I told her not to be upset and that we would figure it out. My sister was 60 years old and did not have life insurance.
I know that no one really likes to think about their own mortality and we always think that we can handle things later but that is rarely the case. Yes, life insurance is expensive but it is a necessary expense nonetheless. The insurance is not for you but it is for those that are left behind. I’d like to think that when we die all of our cares and worries are no more but it is unfair to leave those that are left behind to bare the burden of your final expenses.
I learned a few years ago how expensive funerals can be and I also learned in going through this experience with my sister that even when you try to be as economical as possible it still adds up and let’s face it no one usually has thousands of dollars laying around. For some people especially if the major breadwinner of the family dies without having left behind a life insurance policy the family can possibly be left destitute.
It is also not just the cost of the funeral that has to be considered but sometimes if your loved one has been ill for a while or even a sudden accident can cause huge hospital bills that will somehow have to be paid. Again, this can cause a huge unexpected expense for those left behind. It is hard enough to lose a loved one but when you have to figure out how to pay their final expenses this causes the grieving process to be even more difficult.
None of us likes to think about death but let’s face it death is an inevitable fact of life. I urge each and every one of you no matter your age or financial bracket to invest in a life insurance policy to ease the burden that your passing and bring those you leave behind at least a little peace of mind.
