Insurance World

Let’s face it – mention things mortgage life insurance – in fact anything personal finance related - and we all know that it is as dull as dishwater. However, without things like mortgage life cover - life could be a lot harder financially.

So, what is mortgage life insurance and what is so great about it?

In a nutshell, in the event of you or your partner dying, mortgage life insurance can mean that the difference between keeping a roof over your head or ending up having your home repossessed – a frightening thought.

And while many of us find organising something like life insurance a sombre business as it makes us face our mortality, it is the fair and right thing to do for your partner and any next of kin to make sure that your finances are in order in the event of your death.

So why do you need mortgage life insurance cover? A mortgage life insurance policy runs for a fixed policy term – most people take it put to run concurrent with their mortgage. Should you die before the end of the term period, the policy can help pay off outstanding balance of the mortgage on your home. This will be in the form of a cash sum.

This means that your dependants will not have the financial worry of trying to find the mortgage repayments in the event of your death. Neither will they have to worry about selling up and maybe downsizing in order to keep a roof over their heads – the last things that you would want to put them through.

The good thing about mortgage life insurance is that you only pay for the cover that you need – so as the amount outstanding on your mortgage decreases, you are only paying out for the level of cover you require.

Mortgage life policies are available on a single or joint life basis. If you have a joint life policy, the amount is paid out on the first claim only. You can decide how long you want the policy to run for – and as we mentioned before, most people have it to run concurrent with their mortgage – and in most cases you can have additional benefits such as critical illness cover for an additional premium.

With critical Illness benefit the policy pays out either on death or on the diagnosis of a specified critical illness (such as certain cancers, triple artery bypass) - whichever occurs first. Check with your chosen insurance provider as to what illnesses are covered, as they can vary from insurer to insurer.

If the policy is paid out before the end of the policy term, it ceases. And if the policy is in force at the end of the term, it will have no cash in value.

If you are looking for mortgage life insurance, then do shop around and do not automatically accept the first quotation you get. Premiums as well as terms of the policy and other benefits can vary wildly from provider to provider and you could be surprised just how cheap mortgage life insurance can be, without any compromise on cover.

If you are fortunate enough to be self employed it can be extremely difficult to find affordable health insurance – research indicates that many people don’t go self employed for this very reason. Generally speaking, if you are employed by a large company, you have more options for affordable health insurance through your company’s group plan.

If you are self employed and married, one easy option is to take out health insurance through your spouse. You may pay a little bit more to add yourself on to their insurance and you may also have to wait to do this until benefits enrollment is offered, usually in the fall for the following year. This is usually the cheapest option for insuring not only yourself, but your children as well.

One thing you should consider if it’s relevant to your situation is taking advantage of what is commonly known as COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) health coverage. By law, if you leave your job, you are entitled to continuing health coverage provided by your employer for a certain amount of time.

COBRA coverage can be invaluable in bridging the gap between the health insurance provided by your old company and the insurance you take out for yourself when starting up a new business.

The type of insurance you need will vary as to your situation. If you employ between 2 and 50 people you would probably save money by enrolling in a group health insurance plan. If your business is just literally yourself, you may want to take out a temporary policy. These can be changed easily if your situation changes and are relatively inexpensive.

Finally, if you self employed and are in a financial position to do it – pay your premiums annually, rather than spreading the payments out over a year and paying every month. This may save you a significant amount of money.

And one piece of good news is that health insurance costs for the self employed have been tax-deductible for the last few years - a trend only likely to improve.