Single people often think they don’t need life insurance, and in many cases, they are right. However, there are many factors that determine your need for life insurance; marital status is just one.First of all, do you have any dependents? If you have children, or if you provide support for a parent or grandparent, your death could create a serious financial hardship for these dependents. Life insurance can provide a continued stream of income for your loved ones if you die prematurely. It can also provide peace of mind for you, knowing that they will be taken care of when you’re gone.Do you have a mortgage or other loans that are jointly held with a cosigner? If so, your death would leave the cosigner responsible for the entire debt. You might want to consider purchasing at least enough life insurance to cover these debts in the event of your death. If you have debts for which you alone are responsible, your creditors can make a claim for payment against any assets in your estate.Are you at risk for any serious medical conditions? If, for example, your family medical history includes certain genetic conditions (diabetes, certain types of cancer, etc.) it may make sense to purchase life insurance while you are young and healthy. Purchasing life insurance after you develop such a condition could be difficult, or even impossible. If you choose to buy insurance for this reason, consider adding a guaranteed insurability rider to your policy. This rider guarantees you the right to purchase additional insurance at specified times, without having to provide proof of insurability.If you died tomorrow, would you leave enough to cover your funeral expenses? If not, who would be responsible for paying? For many families, even a relatively simple funeral can create a major financial burden. For this reason alone, you might consider purchasing a small life insurance policy, or even a simple burial policy. As an alternative, you could invest the premiums you would spend on such a policy, and make sure your family knows this investment is earmarked for your final expenses, should the need arise.Even if you determine that you don’t need life insurance, make sure your other insurance needs are covered. You may not realize it, but disability insurance is just as important as life insurance. Statistically speaking, you are much more likely to become disabled than to die prematurely. Disability insurance can replace lost income if you are unable to work due to serious illness or injury.

A family booked a rental cottage last summer, arrived safely and just loved the cottage. However, on the second day of their two week stay, the mom got a call to say her father was seriously ill and not expected to live. The family packed up and returned home, and sadly, her dad died a few days later. After the funeral, the renter called the cottage owner and asked what sort of refund she could expect as they had only used 2 days of their 14 day booking. The owner refused to pay any refund with the explanation that she relied on the cottage rental income to pay the costs of her cottage and it was always fully booked through the season. She was not able to find a replacement rental party at the last minute and as the rental agreement stated; if that was the case no money would be returned. Of course the rental group did not have travel insurance, which would probably have covered trip curtailment due to the illness and/or death of a close relative. The rental cost the family over $4000 and they were not able to recover a penny of that money.

Many people believe that trip insurance is only necessary if there is a flight involved; where delay, lost baggage, and the risk of the airline going bust, is covered; and medical cover is required in a foreign country. It’s not considered important, or not considered at all, to buy insurance to cover a trip taken by road to a self catering property in the same province or the same country. Most cottage bookings are made several months in advance and many things could happen after you have booked to change your circumstances. Illnesses of any member of the traveling party, redundancy or a call to jury service are just a few of the situations that would be covered by a travel insurance policy. A few insurance companies also offer a ‘change of mind’ clause, allowing you to cancel for any reason after a booking has been made and paid in full. This normally pays out an amount sufficient to cover any cancellation fee the rental agency or owner may apply. When you book your vacation rental property, check the property owners or agencies cancellation policies carefully. If it is not clear, ask the question. In general, most private owners and rental agencies will attempt to rebook a property if it is cancelled, and refund your money for the period they have rebooked, less a cancellation fee. The premium paid for trip insurance becomes less significant, the more you are paying, however it is worthwhile at any price, for your peace of mind.