Do I Need Life Insurance if I’m Single?

Being single does not necessarily mean that you do not need a life insurance policy.

the main points

• A life insurance policy helps protect people who will suffer financially if the policy holder dies.
• If the people in your life depend on you financially, having a policy can make sense.

As a general rule, it’s a good idea to buy a life insurance policy if people are financially dependent on you, or they might get hurt financially if you’re going away. If you’re single, you may be wondering if you should bother getting a policy. But when it comes to life insurance, your marital status is not the only factor to consider.

The purpose of life insurance

A life insurance policy can protect people who may suffer financially if the policy holder dies. So a person who has neither dependents nor family members who depend on them may not need a policy yet.

But being single doesn’t mean you don’t have children or people in your life to help support. It is often a good idea for people who have dependents to consider getting life insurance — and designating those dependents as beneficiaries in their policy.

Even if you don’t have children and you’re single, here’s a scenario to consider. Imagine you have a younger sibling in college who lives with you for free while they are studying. If you die suddenly, your brother will likely be unable to pay the rent. In this type of situation, having a sibling’s life insurance policy can provide some financial protection.

Furthermore, one person who has a joint loan with another person may want to consider life insurance. Imagine that a brother and sister own a house together. If the brother succeeds, the sister will be responsible for the entire mortgage, and she may not be able to manage this expense on her own. But if the brother has a life insurance policy, the sister can use the money from the policy payments to cover mortgage payments — or even pay off the entire home.

What kind of life insurance should you get?

When it comes to buying life insurance, you have options. You can purchase life insurance, which covers the policy holder for a specified period of time. Or you can buy whole life insurance, which provides coverage for the rest of your life.

The plus side of life insurance is that it can be much less expensive than whole life insurance. However, once the policy term expires, the policy holder will have no coverage, and the policy will not collect any kind of cash value.

With whole life insurance, the policyholder will spend more for the coverage, but it will stay in place permanently. The policy will also collect a cash value that the policyholder can withdraw or borrow.

No matter what type of policy you have, it’s a good idea to shop for quotes from several life insurance companies. You may find that one insurance company has much better premium rates to offer than another. But either way, don’t let the fact that you’re single keep you from buying insurance. You may not have a spouse or partner to worry about, but you may want to take steps to protect the other people in your life that you care about.