It’s Time to Marie Kondo Your Finances: Life Insurance Advice

It’s Time to Marie Kondo Your Finances: Life Insurance Advice

Tidying up is so in right now, thanks to organizational guru Marie Kondo. Everyone has probably heard of her Netflix show, which features people whose lives are transformed after learning her heartwarming “KonMari” method for organization and declutter.

While I’ll leave the whole-house cleaning advice to her — if you peeked in my closets you would see why — I’d like to offer some life insurance advice for “Marie Kondo-ing” your financial picture, starting with your policies.

I’ll be the first to admit that the thought of finance management or life insurance doesn’t necessarily “spark joy” for many of us, but there is an element of Marie Kondo’s approach to organizing that is relevant. After all, organizing has become so attractive and popular because it offers the possibility of control. One way to take control of your life and the hereafter is to organize your life insurance and legacy plan.

Here’s how to “Marie Kondo” your life insurance needs:

1. Organize Your Policy Information and Documents

It’s always a good idea to keep your original policies on hand, but that isn’t super helpful if no one else knows where to find these life insurance documents.

You should make sure you communicate the relevant details of your policies and where to find them to the appropriate people, such as your spouse or your personal representative in your will. Make sure your wealth advisor also has a copy on file.

Just because you bought a policy at one point in time doesn’t necessarily mean that it is still active. Even by simply accidentally missing a payment, you could have inadvertently surrendered your policy. Check to see that your premium payments are being paid on-time and from the right account.

2. Understand What Kind of Policies You Have

Like a wardrobe, life insurance policies come in all different shapes and sizes. For the vast majority of households, a simple term policy will be sufficient. With a term policy, you essentially “rent” the life insurance benefit for a specified time period through stable premium payments and hope you’ll never need it. After the term period is over, the policy will lapse or you may have the option to continue the coverage, but usually at much higher and often cost-prohibitive premium rates.

Overall, it’s important to periodically revisit the years remaining on the policy. If your plans change and you anticipate that you might need the policy for longer than the remaining years left, it may be wise to apply for a new policy.

If you find yourself with a permanent life insurance policy, such as whole life or variable universal life, the details of the policy will very likely be much more complex and difficult to digest. Unlike term life policies, permanent policies have premiums that can vary from year to year, and they have a “cash value” or investing mechanism inside of the policy.

If you find that you have a permanent policy, make sure you understand the reason why you need this type of life insurance over a simple term policy. Going forward, you should also make sure you set a reminder to review these policies every 2 to 3 years to evaluate the performance of the cash value feature. You will want to compare the in-force illustration with the original illustration you received when you took out the policy and compare it to current market options.

If you don’t understand why you have permanent life insurance as opposed to term life insurance, consider it a red flag. While there are unique instances in which our life insurance advice would be to opt for permanent life insurance (i.e. buy/sell agreements for business owners or estate tax purposes), these policies are too often sold inappropriately with very high commissions. They are often touted as great investment vehicles, but many other options are much more cost-effective, such as liquid savings accounts, brokerage accounts, 401ks, IRAs, and 529 plans.

A wise person once told me that permanent life insurance policies are like a tire inflator with a spatula attached. Sure, you may need both, but do you really need them together?

3. Consider the Death Benefit Level

It’s also very important to periodically revisit the death benefit amounts that your life insurance coverage provides. Perhaps a $1M life insurance policy was sufficient when you first sought the coverage as a young family of three. That may no longer be the case if you’re now a family of six, with one parent working outside the home and a sizeable mortgage.

On the other hand, you don’t necessarily want to be worth more dead than alive. Having too much coverage only seems to serve your insurance broker. It’s a delicate balance, and no “right” answer exists, but a good ballpark figure is around 10-15 times your annual income. If you’re not sure how much you need, you can also work with your financial planning professional to conduct a thorough analysis and provide you with life insurance advice.

Along with the death benefit, you should review and understand any potential riders or the “bells and whistles” you may have on your life insurance policies. Common riders can include long-term care benefits, additional death benefits due to accidental death, or guaranteed renewal provisions. You should evaluate the benefits of each rider and only buy or keep the ones best suited for you and your family.

4. Review Your Beneficiaries

Make sure you know who you have listed as your beneficiaries on all of your policies. It’s imperative to update your beneficiaries after major life events, such as marriage, births, deaths, and divorce.

Another life insurance advice tidbit to remember is this: like retirement accounts, life insurance death benefits are paid directly to named beneficiaries, not necessarily according to instructions in your will. Furthermore, it’s generally advisable to keep your beneficiaries in-the-know and to give them the peace of mind that you have planned for the economic impact your passing may have on your loved ones.

Now that you’ve taken some steps to organize, understand, and take control of your finances, consider any necessary follow-up actions. It may be worthwhile to engage an outside advisor to help you tackle any follow-up actions and to implement a process to consistently and systematically review on a go-forward basis.

While thinking of the possibility of death is never an easy subject, it is imperative — particularly if anyone is dependent on you financially. Simply follow this “Marie Kondo” life insurance advice to ensure your loved ones are taken care of for the future.

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About Author

Vanessa McElwrath, CFP®, CPA

Develop your comprehensive wealth management plan and achieve your financial goals with ML&R Wealth Management. Vanessa McElwrath brings your dreams to the forefront and guides you on the path to independence. Vanessa’s personal attention to the details and high level of customized advice helps you achieve your long-term goals with peace of mind along the way.

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