Staring Down My Mortality—And Why You Should Too
As much as I’d love to think I’m invincible, the truth is that I’m not. Neither are you. We’re all mortal. Which, let me tell you, hit me like a ton of bricks not too long ago.
There I was, merrily living my life, when bam—I got rear-ended in heavy traffic on my way home from work. Thankfully no one was hurt, but my beat-up old Camry was totaled. All I could think in that surreal moment was: “Well, this sucks.” Followed quickly by: “Wait, will insurance even cover this?”
It was a wake-up call that I clearly needed to reevaluate my personal finances—and my mortality. Morbid, I know. But we’ve all got an expiration date, and mine could come well before I’m ready if I don’t plan ahead.
So I did what any responsible, financially-conscious adult would do: I moped on my couch stressing over money for a few days, polishing off my leftover Halloween candy stash like it was going out of style.
But after a stern talk with myself and my bank account, I pulled it together and actually started researching life insurance options. Because let’s face it: insurance is there for those “just in case” moments you never see coming (like getting rammed on the highway, ugh). And I realized that life insurance is financial protection I clearly needed in my back pocket.
Why Life Insurance Matters, Even If You’re Not Married With Kids
Now I know what you might be thinking: life insurance is for married home-owning couples with 2.5 kids and a white picket fence, not single gal me with my cat and houseplant.
Wrong! Life insurance can benefit anyone who people depend on financially or don’t want to burden if they pass away unexpectedly. I may not have kids but I do have family and outstanding debts that would be left in the lurch.
My tip: even a small policy of $50,000-$100,000 can go a long way to cover final expenses or help your loved ones in your absence. Peace of mind for an affordable monthly payment? I’ll take it, thanks.
Finding the Right Policy I Could Actually Commit To
Okay, so I was convinced getting life insurance was a smart financial cushion. But man, slogging through all the policy options out there was dizzying.
Term life? Whole life? Variable? Universal? My eyes glazed over reading description after description of policies I didn’t understand.
After researching till I thought smoke would start billowing from my ears, I finally settled on term life insurance. Why? The premiums were affordable enough that I could reasonably commit to paying them month-to-month rather than stressing over budget-busting bills.
My biggest piece of advice? Find a policy you can actually stick with long-term. Otherwise that safety net won’t be there when your number’s up (yikes).
Time for a Gut Check, My Friends
Stepping back after my little car crash “incident,” I realized I needed to take control of my financial life for my future self—and my future loved ones. Because let’s be real: no one wants to leave behind debt or financial chaos if they unexpectedly kick the bucket.
Getting life insurance was a small but mighty way I gained some control. And gave me greater peace of mind that I have a cushion in place for the “what ifs” that creep up on you. My invitation? Take a gut check like I did and ask yourself—is it time to put contingency plans in place with life insurance, for both your sake and your family’s?
No one wants to dwell on the gloomy “what could happen.” But taking even small steps now made me feel empowered about my choices, not stressed. And let me tell you: that peace of mind is priceless. Even for this hot mess who maybe, possibly, finally has part of my financial life together now at age 32. Hey, better late than never!
So grab control of your financial future where you can, my friends. Let my misery be your inspiration to make empowered money choices today. Here’s to facing mortality—and feeling pretty darn good about it too!