Planning for the end of life is no easy task, but it can go considerably more smoothly once you have a good beneficiary in mind. To clarify, your beneficiary is the person (or group or entity) who will be receiving the payout from your life insurance policy. 

Sometimes it can be tough knowing who to select as a beneficiary, but at Benefit Insurance Services we’re here to help. We connect people all across the Myrtle Beach, SC area and beyond with quality life insurance policies to provide some comfort in life’s most difficult moments. 

And when it comes to beneficiaries, we’ve seen it all.  Now, most people choose a close family member (such as a spouse, child or even sibling) as their beneficiary, but things aren’t always so cut and dry. If you’re having difficulty deciding who your beneficiary should be, here are some points you should be thinking about: 

• Find out if there are any restrictions that may prevent all of the money going to the person or entity you choose. 
• Who will need financial support once you are gone? 
• Who will respect your final wishes? 
• If you have children, consider establishing trust so they can receive a gradual, more restricted payout that will still take care of their needs. 
• If you don’t want to choose a person, is there a charity or other group you care deeply about that could benefit? 

Now, it’s worth pointing out that if no beneficiary is named or your beneficiary is deceased (a good reason to regularly review your policy and update it as needed), your life insurance payout will become part of your estate. It will then be distributed with your assets according to your will, or if there is no valid will, the state will evaluate your assets and most likely give it to your closest living relative. 

So needless to say, you’ll want to choose a beneficiary ahead of time if you don’t want that to happen. You should also name a contingent (a backup) beneficiary just in case. 

Whether you’re ready to take the next step and secure a good life insurance policy or you simply want to change the beneficiary on an existing policy, give us a call or come visit the Benefit Insurance Services offices in Myrtle Beach, SC. 

Benefit Insurance Services of Myrtle Beach, SC knows the ins and outs of health insurance and we want you to, too. Your employer may include <a href=“https://www.insurance.com/life-insurance/coverage/accidental-death-and-dismemberment-insurance.aspx”>accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D)</a>  insurance in your benefits package or you may have just heard of it and wondered what it covers. This blog explores the coverage of accidental death and dismemberment insurance, one type of health insurance that also provides life insurance benefits. It is both.

If you die as a result of an accident, AD&D pays your beneficiary the full benefit of the policy which makes it similar to a life insurance policy. However, if you incur injuries that result in the loss of a limb,  your eyesight, hearing, limb or speech, AD&D pays the amount specified in the policy. This provides a significant lump sum payout to fund health care, including your hospital stay, long-term care or rehabilitative care. The dismembering event must occur within months of the accident date. You also must be able to prove that the injury was a direct result of the accident.

Typically, you will receive a 50 percent benefit for the loss of one hand, foot, limb, sight in one eye, hearing or speech. Similarly, with partial or complete paralysis, policies pay 25 to 50 percent. If you lose two limbs, the policy pays the full benefit. 

While we at Benefit Insurance Services of Myrtle Beach, SC hope you never need your accidental death and dismemberment insurance, it does provide a safety mechanism that pays for a lengthy hospital stay as well as rehabilitative care. It also provides a significant benefit if you die in an accident which can provide your beneficiary with income to live on after your death.

The most common types of life insurance are whole life and term life insurance. They are similar in some manners, but also have several differences between the two. Learning about them can help you to make a decision on which of the two is best for your particular situation.

What is Term Life Insurance?

Term life insurance policies provide coverage for a specific term or amount of time. If you should pass away during the term, then the insurance company pays the benefits to your beneficiary. You can customize several parts of this life insurance from Benefit Insurance Services to fit your needs. The value of the death benefit is usually in increments of $50,000 and can be raised to suit your needs. The term length is anywhere from 1 year or 5 year increments up to 30 years. A level of death benefit pays out the same amount for the life of your policy. A policy is renewable so that it rises in cost as you get older, but you don’t need to re-qualify for it.  

What is Whole Life Insurance?

Whole life insurance has coverage that extends for your entire life without the need to set a term or to ever renew it. The death benefit remains the same throughout your lifetime, although you can purchase additional coverage. The premiums that you pay are consistent throughout the policy and you can pay them annually or for a period. Cash value is the amount you would receive if you surrender the policy to the insurer and receive a payout for the cash value your policy has earned. You can use this money to pay for other items. The cash value does not pay out to your beneficiary in Myrtle Beach, SC.

 Either type of life insurance policy is not perfect for all people. We understand at Benefit Insurance Services that it can be a crucial decision to make, and we are here to help you. You can visit our office in Myrtle Beach, SC or call us, so we can help you with your needs and find the life insurance policy that best fits your situation.

 

 

Whole life insurance is the best protection that you can get for your spouse and children in the case of an unexpected death. Also known as "permanent life insurance," it can also be used as an investment in certain cases.

Choosing between the many different forms of whole life insurance can be difficult. Let’s take a look at some of the characteristics that you should consider when you are looking at whole life insurance.

• Providing immediate estate – Any whole life insurance policy that you choose should immediately provide income for family members that are dependent after the death of the head of household.
• Liquidation of all debts – Good whole life insurance policies also cover things such as mortgages. They also help to liquidate both business and consumer debts so that the surviving members of the family do not have to worry about debts that they did not personally incur.
• Additional benefits – Certain whole life insurance policies will also help with college expenses or other educational or business needs.
• Funeral costs – You should look for a whole life insurance policy that covers all funeral expenses and inheritance taxes as well as federal estate taxes and administration costs that have to do with death.
• Key employee clause – Whole life insurance policies can also be used to protect businesses. For instance, a business can be indemnified through this kind of a policy if it loses a key employee. These kinds of clauses can also provide for salary continuation plans and the financing of company obligations.

Benefit Insurance Services provide whole life insurance for the people in and around Myrtle Beach, SC and the surrounding areas. When you are ready to protect your loved ones with a permanent life insurance policy that covers all benefit angles, give the dedicated experts at Benefit Insurance Services a call.

Many people have heard time and time again just how important it is to invest in a life insurance policy in Myrtle Beach, SC When you purchase this type of policy, you can rest your head at night knowing you have protected the financial future of your loved ones in the event that you were to pass away. This is especially beneficial if you are the sole provider for your loved ones. For a lot of people, though, thinking about purchasing a life insurance policy and actually investing in one is a hurdle they have yet to overcome. Even though they realize they need to buy a policy, they have not reached a point in their lives that it is financially feasible for them to buy a policy. Fortunately, here at Benefit Insurance Services, we have put together a few tips for learning how to budget to buy life insurance coverage. 

It Only Takes a Few Dollars Each Month

The younger you are and the healthier you are when you buy life insurance, the better. You may even be able to secure a policy for well under $50 a month. In fact, buying while you are young and healthy is our number one tip for investing in life insurance. Think about it. If you can get a policy for only $30 a month, this means you have to set aside only $1 a day to pay for the coverage. 

Set Your Priorities Realistically

Choosing to avoid paying your home mortgage loan just so you can invest in life insurance is not a wise choice to make. You need to set your priorities realistically, such as avoiding going to the movies twice a month so that you can have money for a life insurance policy; this is something much more realistic than not paying your home loan. 

If you would like to learn about budgeting for life insurance, please contact Benefit Insurance Services today serving the Myrtle Beach, SC area.