Gone.
These two young men did not know each other. And truth be told, I didn't even know them. I never met either of them, but I know people who were close to them, and I can feel their indescribable grief.
So many thoughts come to mind when I think about these two young lives that are now gone. But for some reason, as odd as this might sound, the one thing that stands out to me most is this (I really don't know why this is what stands out):
Neither of them had life insurance. Not even a small amount to cover a funeral. Nothing.
Both of them were married. I'm not sure about Josh's cousin, but I know the young man in our community had two young girls. The community came together to raise some money, and of course I don't know what the amount was, but I'm guessing it may have covered part of the funeral.
But what about after the funeral? What about their incomes that played a part in the daily lives of their families? Sometimes I think about what I would do if Josh passed away...what on earth would I do if I didn't have our financial plan in order BEFOREHAND.
Please don't misunderstand me. I am not trying to (in any way) speak poorly of the families who are going through such pain. I guess I just want to encourage you who are reading to call your insurance agent today and ask about a term life policy (we do term because that's what we believe makes the most sense...um...and because it's what we learned through FPU - I can explain further if need be). Both Josh and I have a policy. Yes, even me...a stay-at-home mom. Each of us have an amount that is 10 times Josh's gross yearly salary (actually, I think his is more than mine, but they're close).
And guess what. It's about $16/month apiece.
I remember getting these policies when money was really tight for us. But we knew it wasn't an option. We had to do it. I think it was not long after we had Caleb (we should have done it sooner, but having children makes a person think more about that kind of thing I guess). Perhaps it came from a bit of prodding from our insurance agent after we had our first baby, but we've known Tom (our agent) for YEARS (he coached Josh in 4th grade!), and while I know it's a business to him, I also think he had our best interest at heart.
I'm glad.
And believe me, you will want to hear this phone call...click here. It's an example of a man who had things in order before a terminal diagnosis. Warning: it might give you tears. He is only 27.
So this is one of those things I've been wanting to say and not sure how to go about saying it. My heart breaks for families who lose young husbands, sons, daughters, sisters, etc. If the day comes and it happens to you, are you prepared ahead of time financially?
"A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children..." Proverbs 13:22
5 comments:
I will be making a call today! Thanks for posting this and reminding all of us not to be selfish and remember those who we will leave behind.
I understand this completely. I know that my husband feels relief that if he dies suddenly, we have 10x his salary in term life and I can draw the interest from that if I invest it to care for our kids.
Its so hard to think about dying unexpectedly though, isn't it? It makes me feel really sad, but I suppose that is because I have a lot of living to do.
Wow, I cannot believe you are up to 261 followers. This is something! Maybe I will also "sell out" and do those follow me fridays and blah blah tuesdays and carnivals and such!
(maybe).
Great writing!
Amen! It is so important to have something in place. If you can't do 10x a salary then think about things like...what would it cost to pay off the house and cover funeral expenses. Those are things that would make things easier if something happened to a spouse. We just reviewed our policies and found a better deal with another company.
I knew Tim and his wife Samantha, I worked with both of them at the DC and it's so tragic....
Ross and I both have insurance. It took me awhile to get Ross to be on board with the plan, but I finally convinced him he needed more than the small policy offered at his work.
It gives me peace of mind to know that I won't have to worry about our debts if something happens to Ross and I'm left to raise the girls alone. Now, if I could just get him to see that value of having enough so that I never have to worry about working while raising our girls, then we'll be on the same page. (Right now he just feels that it's enough that everything will be paid off and all I'll have to do is work to pay the monthly utilities and living expenses.)
Love your post....it is something that DOES need done by anyone who has others depending on his/her income, or as in the case of you and me, little people depending on us for daily care. Thanks for prompting others to do the responsible thing.
I loved FPU. We attended several years ago. We since then buckled down and paid off all personal debt including our house! What a change for us it has been.
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