You know you should do but haven't? | 3rd Level Wealth


I wonder how many things in life I know I should do but don’t?

The question was easier when I was young and single. The question changes when a person gets married. The question can penetrate and convict when children become involved.

One of the reasons this question has come up lately has been the passing of some known men in my life that are around my age. Not close friends, just people who I have crossed paths with over the years. Men in their forties and fifties.

All of them were married. All of them had children. All of them had families that depended on them and all of them passed away unexpectedly. It made me pause. It made me reflect on our time together when we crossed paths. And it made me ponder life.

Which brought me to another thought upon hearing of their passing: Is their family going to be okay? Did they have a plan in place? Life insurance? Retirement? Kids education? Funeral costs?

Part of me hates these questions. Part of me wishes these thoughts never crossed my mind. But after years of being in the financial services industry, the stories we hear and see causes us to think about it. It’s part of the job and the reality is we will all pass away, we just don’t know the date or if we will be given any type of notice.

As I was thinking about these friends I realized I needed to review my life insurance needs. I’m newly married and life has changed these past six months. I need to figure out how much I really want and how much is too much? How much can I comfortably afford without it causing a burden on the family? If my time is coming soon and unexpectedly, do I want to give my family time to grieve and process next steps or am I going to put them in a position to make rash decisions because the money isn’t there?

It’s a sobering thought. But also an opportunity. An opportunity to give me some peace of mind if something did happen. Not to worry. Not to think about ‘what if’ the next time an acquaintance of mine passes away unexpectedly.

Is your family financially prepared if you passed away unexpectedly?

Or is this something you know you should do but haven’t done yet?

Take the step today and cross 'life insurance' off your list.

Talk with an Advisor

Subscribe to 3LW Newsletter

3rd Level Wealth

Check out the resources below and sign up for the newsletter!

Read more from 3rd Level Wealth

What do you do when you are past the age of 65 for your health insurance? What if you are married? What if your spouse is still working and can add you to their group plan? What are your options and which one is best? What is Medicare A, B, C, D? There is much confusion over health insurance in the United States, especially Medicare. Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people over the age of 65 and some younger people who qualify in different situations. Medicare can be your...

What is the five year look-back? Imagine working your entire life while accumulating some assets only to have it taken away at the end. Anyone who has experienced a loved one’s end of life care and the difficult decisions that come with may be able to relate. It doesn’t seem fair that a person can work so hard for so long yet end up spending a majority (or all) of their wealth in their final years on healthcare. Home health care, assisted living and long term care can get expensive in a hurry...

Every KPERS employee nearing retirement should at least know about this strategy. It’s called pension maximization. What is it and how does it work? KPERS is what we call a defined benefit plan (or pension). Part of your choice at retirement is selecting which option you’d like to receive in your defined benefit plan for the remainder of your life in exchange for your service as an employee. There are a number of options and it will vary by individual. One of the biggest mistakes I see with...