Raising a child can be a rewarding life experience, but it is also very expensive. It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to raise a child to age 18, with college tuition, fees, room, and board resulting in another potentially enormous expense. If you were to die tomorrow, would funds be available to provide for food, clothing, day care, and educational expenses for your child?

Having life insurance could secure the future for your children if you have an untimely death. With a life insurance policy, there could be enough income to help pay for everything your child might need while growing up.

After your death, any outstanding debt and financial obligations do not disappear. Your home is probably the costliest and most significant property you own. A mortgage payment is a large burden for a spouse or partner to carry.

A life insurance policy would allow your spouse or children to pay off your outstanding debts and spare them the stress of making monthly payments on the home.

Many families lease or finance their automobiles these days. If the primary earner in the family were to die, the family could be left with outstanding car payments for years to come.

A life insurance policy would allow your spouse or children to pay off your outstanding debts and spare them the stress of making monthly payments on your car(s).

An average funeral can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and that's without unnecessary options or luxurious services. A death in the family is stressful enough; why add the hefty bill of a funeral to that stress?

A life insurance policy can easily cover the cost of a funeral. Your family will be able to think of you and have peace of mind without being burdened by funeral costs.

Once you retire, you will be living off social security, and if you are lucky to have them, a pension or retirement fund, too. But what if the surviving spouse has been relying on you to fund retirement for the couple? Premature death of an earner can affect sources of retirement benefits such as Social Security.

Life insurance can help support a surviving spouse during their retirement.

If you passed away, would your business suffer? There are many complications and financial issues that can arise due to the death of a business owner. Many people overlook this predicament.

A life insurance policy can keep a business moving along even during tough times, such as the loss of the business owner/partner. Key person life insurance is payable to the company and provides money for training and hiring of a new employee. A buy-sell agreement, funded by life insurance, allows the other partners in the business to buy the deceased’s share of the business, which will provide money for his or her family.

Many people mistakenly think that they don’t need life insurance if they don’t have children or if their children are grown. However, your financial responsibilities fall to your family when you are gone.

Life insurance can replace the income you would usually bring in and help support your spouse or adult children, ensuring your loved ones are able to maintain the lifestyle they're accustomed to.