Just because your company provides you with free life insurance coverage doesn’t mean you’re fully protected.
While it certainly doesn’t hurt to have, it may not be enough to provide for your family in the event of a tragedy.
For the first time ever, more Americans have employer-provided life insurance (108 million) than have individual life insurance coverage (102 million), according to a new LIMRA study. This is important especially during Life Insurance Awareness month to make sure you’re aware that typically life insurance through your job is not portable. Which means you can’t take it with you. Everyone should make sure they have individually owned insurance to protect their family just in case they switch jobs or lose their job or potentially start their own company.
How employer-provided life insurance works.
A life insurance policy from your employer is typically a group plan that’s offered to you and your co-workers. Your policy is held by the company, and they’ll often pay most if not all of the premium costs. The amount of insurance you’ll receive varies, but it’s normally one to two times your annual salary.
Problems with employer-provided life insurance.
A $50,000 payout, for example, may seem like a lot. But you may notice a problem when you stop thinking in terms of numbers on paper and look at how long the insurance money would last. You go from $50,000 per year to just $50,000, period! A life insurance benefit is essentially buying your family time to grieve and plan for their future in your absence. That might mean looking for new jobs, adjusting to a single-income lifestyle, taking out student loans, and so on.
If your employer-provided policy just matches your annual salary, your loved ones would only be covered for a single year as they go through the process of readjustment (assuming their spending habits don’t change and they don’t encounter any emergencies). In fact, 5 to 10 times your annual income is considered a reasonable amount of insurance for just this reason; it gives your loved ones plenty of time to figure things out.
Another problem with an employer-provided life insurance policy is that it depends on your employment status. If you leave that job (voluntarily or involuntarily), what might happen to your family if they are left unprotected? While employer-provided life insurance is definitely a perk, it often might not be enough.
Alternatives to employer-provided life insurance.
That’s why considering an individual plan is so important. It may not be provided by your employer, but you’ll get what you pay for – a safety net for the ones you love and the time they’ll need to recover… regardless of where you’re working.
Have questions? Feel free to contact me! I would love to help you prepare your insurance strategy and help protect your family’s future.