Is It Time to Review Your Life Insurance Needs?

What is a Life Insurance Review?

A life insurance review is the process of assessing your existing life insurance coverage to ensure it continues to meet your current needs and financial goals. This evaluation typically involves examining the adequacy of your coverage, the cost, the beneficiaries, and whether any life changes (such as marriage, the birth of a child, purchasing a home, or a change in income) necessitate adjustments to your policy.

You should review your life insurance coverage every year or after major life events to ensure it effectively protects your financial interests and those of your dependents, adapting to changes in your life circumstances.

Why Review Your Life Insurance Coverage?

Reviewing your life insurance coverage is crucial for several reasons, ensuring that your policy remains aligned with your evolving personal and financial circumstances. Here are the key reasons why it's important to review your life insurance coverage:

1. Life Changes: Significant life events such as marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, or the death of a family member can alter your financial responsibilities and needs. A review helps ensure that your life insurance coverage matches these new realities.
2. Financial Changes: Should your financial circumstances have improved or worsened, adjusting your coverage may be necessary. For example, reducing your coverage to decrease premiums could be wise if you've cleared substantial debts such as a mortgage or if your children are now financially self-sufficient. Conversely, an increase in financial obligations might require enhanced coverage.
3. Changes in Career or Income: A notable shift in your career or income, like receiving a promotion, switching jobs, or retiring, may require you to update your life insurance to guarantee sufficient support for your beneficiaries.
4. Policy Performance: If you have a form of life insurance that includes an investment component, such as universal or whole life insurance, it’s essential to review the policy's performance periodically. Ensuring the investment growth rate performs as expected can impact the cash value accumulation and the policy's overall benefit.
5. Health Changes: Improvements in your health, such as quitting smoking or losing weight, could qualify you for lower premiums. Conversely, if your health has declined, you might consider how this affects the future affordability of premiums or the need for additional coverage.
6. Insurance Market Trends: The life insurance industry continually evolves, introducing new products and features. Regular reviews can help you take advantage of more suitable or cost-effective products and features.
7. Estate Planning: As part of broader estate planning, reviewing your life insurance covers your policy contributions and aligns with your intentions for asset distribution, tax planning, and support for any dependents or charitable contributions after your death.

   Ensure your life insurance keeps pace with your life. Review your policy today to safeguard your family's future.  

Steps to Reviewing Your Life Insurance

Reviewing your life insurance policy is a critical task to ensure it continues to meet your evolving needs. Here are key steps you can follow to conduct a thorough review:

Step 1: Gather Your Information

• Locate your policy documents: If you don't have a physical copy, contact your insurance company to access it online or request one.
• Create a list of your financial obligations: Include debts (mortgage, loans), income replacement needs, and future expenses (like your children's college).
• Make a list of your current assets: This includes savings, investments, and other resources that could offset some financial needs.

Step 2: Assess Your Current Coverage

• Review your death benefit: Is your current insurance policy enough to cover your financial obligations and provide for your dependents' future needs?
• Examine policy type: Does your type of policy (term insurance, whole life insurance, universal life insurance) still fit your financial goals? Determine if extra features like riders for critical illness or disability benefits are needed or if current riders need to be adjusted or eliminated.
• Premium costs: Check if the cost of life insurance is still competitive compared to new products in the market or if they can be adjusted based on changes in your health or lifestyle.
• Check your beneficiaries: Are they up-to-date with life changes (marriage, divorce, new children, etc.)? Ensure you have designated both primary beneficiaries and contingent beneficiaries.
• Assess riders: Do you have any policy add-ons (long-term care, disability riders)? Are they still relevant to your situation?

Step 3: Evaluate Your Needs

• Use a life insurance needs calculator: Leverage an online life insurance calculator  to determine how much coverage you realistically need.
• Consider future expenses: Factor in things like college tuition for children or caregiving costs for aging parents.
• Don't forget about taxes and final expenses: These can create an added financial burden on your loved ones.

Step 4: Explore Options

• Consider increasing coverage: If your current policy is insufficient, explore increasing the death benefit.
• Look into adding riders: If you need additional protection, review riders relevant to your circumstances.
• Consult a Professional: Speaking with a life insurance agent can be beneficial. They offer personalized advice tailored to your specific circumstances and help you understand complex policy details or new products in the market.

Step 5: Decide on Changes and Take Action

• Make Adjustments: Determine if adjustments are necessary and make any required changes.
• Record Keeping: Keep all updates documented and notify all appropriate individuals, including your beneficiaries or legal counsel.
• Next Review: Schedule your next review date, it is recommended that you do so annually.

Benefits of Regular Reviews

Regular reviews of your life insurance policy offer several significant benefits that can help ensure your financial strategy remains robust and responsive to your evolving life circumstances. Here are the key advantages of conducting these reviews:

Ensures Coverage Matches Current Needs: As life evolves, so do your financial obligations and priorities. Regular reviews help ensure that the life insurance proceeds match your current financial responsibilities, such as supporting dependents, covering debts, and meeting long-term goals.

Identifies Potential Cost Savings: Life insurance premiums can vary based on age, health, and changes in the market. If your health has improved—for instance, quitting smoking or losing significant weight—you might qualify for lower premiums. Additionally, life insurance companies introducing new products or changes in the insurance market could provide opportunities for more cost-effective coverage.

Updates Beneficiaries: Life events such as marriage, divorce, the birth of children, or the death of a family member often necessitate changes in beneficiary designations. Regular reviews ensure that the policy’s benefits will be directed according to your current wishes, which can prevent legal challenges and ensure that your assets are distributed as intended.

Adapts to Changes in Financial Goals: As your financial landscape changes, your life insurance product should adapt to support these changes. Whether adjusting investment strategies, shifting assets for estate planning, or addressing new business liabilities, regular life insurance reviews help align your policy with your broader financial plan.

Takes Advantage of New Insurance Products and Features: The life insurance market is continually innovating. Regular reviews can reveal new types of life insurance or policy features that better suit your needs. These might include options for greater flexibility, improved investment components, or riders that offer additional benefits such as critical illness coverage or disability insurance.

Insurance For Retirement Planning: Life insurance coverage is a cornerstone of a comprehensive financial plan. Regularly reviewing your policy ensures that it continues to work effectively with other components of your financial strategy, such as retirement planning, investments, and tax strategies.

Helps Avoid Policy Lapse: By keeping track of your policy details, including premium payments and the policy’s term, regular reviews help prevent unintentional lapses. This is especially important for term life insurance policies that can expire at a certain age or after a certain period.

Common Mistakes

Here are some of the most common mistakes people make when reviewing their life insurance policies and how to avoid them:

Not Reviewing at All: Many people set up their life insurance policy and then forget about it. Life changes and not updating your coverage are huge risks. Make it a habit to review your coverage annually or after significant life events.

Ignoring Changes in Health: If your health has improved since you purchased your policy, you might qualify for lower premiums. Don't assume your rates are locked in – reevaluate periodically, especially if you've made positive lifestyle changes.

Inaccurate Needs Assessment: Underestimating your coverage needs leaves dependents vulnerable. Use an online needs calculator and be realistic about future expenses like college tuition or long-term care costs.

Focusing Only on Price: While finding a good deal is important, don't sacrifice coverage solely for the lowest premium. Compare both prices and benefits from different life insurers.

Failing to Update Beneficiaries: Outdated beneficiaries can cause delays, disputes, and unintended financial consequences for your loved ones.

Overlooking Policy Riders: Riders provide additional benefits alongside your base policy. Based on your situation, consider whether riders might be valuable additions.

Not Seeking Professional Help: A life insurance agent can help with complex needs, policy comparisons, and securing your best fit.

How to Avoid These Mistakes

• Set reminders: Schedule annual reviews or mark your calendar to reassess your policy after major life changes.
• Work with a professional: Get personalized advice and ensure your policy evolves with your situation.
• Be thorough: Don't just skim your policy. Take the time to understand your coverage and any existing riders.

The Bottom Line

A thorough life insurance review is an act of love and responsibility for those you care about. Whether your coverage remains ideally suited or adjustments are needed, the knowledge your protection is up-to-date is invaluable.

   Help secure your future and protect your loved ones by reviewing your policy. Get a Life Insurance Quote