The Newlyweds' Guide to Life Insurance

The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

It’s officially wedding season! As the US continues to open back up, it seems that everywhere you look someone is getting married, with a double whammy of postponed 2020 nuptials and regularly scheduled 2021 events kicking off. 

If you’re one of the many couples getting married this year - or perhaps you’ve already tied the knot (congrats!) - chances are there are a few high priority life items on your list to tackle. While life insurance may not be the first thing on your mind post-wedding, it is definitely worth thinking about as you tie your futures together.

Marriage is a partnership

For most people, marriage is a commitment on many levels: emotional, ethical and spiritual just to name a few, but also financial and practical! For one, there are usually beneficial, fiscal implications to tying the knot. There is even a fancy financial term that describes the relationship between spouses (and business partners): you share an insurable interest, that is to say, one of you will suffer hardship if the other passes away. Having a life insurance policy will help to ensure your spouse is taken care of financially, should something happen to you.

Just married? Now’s a good time for life insurance

It can’t be overstated that the best time to buy life insurance is always “yesterday” or, failing that, “right now.” That is because the younger and healthier you are when you purchase your policy, the lower the rate you can get. This is all the more important as you and your spouse likely share great plans for the future: you might be looking to buy a house and raise kids. If you choose to combine your finances, you will also be sharing your debt. All the more reason to plan carefully.

At Ladder, we believe in making life insurance personalized, simple, and flexible. If you want to lower your coverage during the lifetime of your policy, you can decrease your coverage amount with just a few clicks or taps in the app, which decreases your premiums by the same proportion.

A quick look at joint life insurance

The insurable interest defined earlier is a prerequisite for a type of life insurance known as “joint life insurance.” Such policies can be “first to die,” i.e. pay out to the beneficiary when the first spouse dies, or “second to die,” i.e. pay out when both insured parties die. The former can be practical because it involves just one policy that ensures a payout for the other party regardless of circumstances. “Second to die” policies typically don’t involve spouses as beneficiaries, but instead protect extended family members like grandchildren. Most people won’t benefit much from joint life insurance, unless one spouse cannot be insured due to a health condition—in which case the policy is calculated based on the healthy spouse. 

The benefits of separate policies

Ideally, we would recommend both spouses get a separate life insurance policy. Going separate, for one, ensures each policy is tailored to each spouse and their financial situation, not just now but also in the future. For instance, if you and your spouse decide to buy a house and get a mortgage together, one of you might take on the mortgage payments while the other covers the expenses of managing your household. You may also choose different life insurance policies that reflect your respective incomes to maintain the same standard of living for your significant other.

*About the Author

Liana Corwin is the Director of Communications and Editor of the Financial Literacy Blog at Ladder, an award-winning insurtech that’s using technology to make life insurance smart, easy, and affordable. Passionate about helping consumers, Liana has spent nearly a decade working with brands that solve hard problems and make consumer experiences delightful.

See also: FACTORS THAT IMPACT YOUR LIFE INSURANCE PREMIUM

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.