Life Insurance for Stay at Home Moms
Many families erroneously believe their stay at home mother does not need a life insurance policy. If you consider just how much the stay at home mom does around the house and for the children, you will quickly ascertain the need for life insurance on mom.
Why Does A Stay At Home Mom Need Life Insurance?
Consider how much a stay at home mom contributes to the family. She provides child care, housekeeping and multiple other functions around the home. If she were to pass away, there would be an intense need to cover those duties. The surviving spouse would need to pay for child care, housekeeping and all of the other daily expenses involved with raising children alone.
How To Determine How Much Life Insurance Is Needed For A Stay At Home Mother:
There is an array of factors to consider when determining how much life insurance is needed for the stay at home mom. Each family must consider how old the children are and how much money it would take to pay someone else to perform mom's duties. Financial guru, Dave Ramsey suggests a stay at home saves the family between $25,000 to $35,000 a year. Ramsey recommends multiplying this number by the number of years children will be at home to determine an appropriate amount of insurance.
For example, if there are three children in the home, ages one, three and five, you will need insurance to cover basic expanses for 17 years. This would equal a life insurance policy in the range of $425,000 to $600,000.
What Type Of Life Insurance:
A term life insurance policy is usually the best choice for mothers. If a mother plans to rejoin the job market after the children leave home, a 20 year term policy is an ideal choice. The necessity for life insurance for a stay at home mom diminishes as the children grow up, even if the mother chooses to not return to the work place.
And How Much Will A Life Insurance Policy Cost?
A term life policy for women is significantly lower than one for men. This is a result of statistical data proving women tend to live longer than men. A mother's long life expectancy results in lower premiums, because the insurance company is less likely to have to pay on the claim. A healthy young mother buying a term life policy will be rewarded with an affordable rate. Most women, who are non-smokers and under the age of 35, will be able to get term life insurance ratesat around $15-30 a month.
A married stay at home mother who has a working spouse with benefits may be eligible to be added to his employee insurance plan. If this is an option, buying life insurance through the spouse's employer is another affordable option for a life insurance policy.
Life insurance for stay at home mothers makes good economic sense for any family. Term life insurance for moms is affordable and should the worst happen will aid a spouse and children as they adjust to their new lives without their mother.
Liran Hirschkorn is the founder of ChooseTerm.com and is an expert in the insurance industry where he works hand in hand with the best life insurance companies.