In recent times, we have witnessed a lot of political, economical and environmental upheavals in different climes of the world.
Lives and properties have been lost in the process of these events. From black lives matter in the United States to End SARS protest in Nigeria. Also, Sudan, Guinea, Zimbabwe and many other countries are not left out.
A lot of people have lost their bread winners or bread winner to be, while others have lost their older adults to these recent events. What is life insurance? What role can life insurance play in times like this? What are the types of life insurance that you can take advantage of? All these questions will be answered in this post as you read on.
It is my hope that at the end of this post, you would be moved to action!
WHAT IS LIFE INSURANCE?
This is a legal agreement between an individual (policy holder) and an insurer/assurer ( insurance companies, banks and financial institutions), where the insurer promises to pay a designated amount to a named beneficiary in exchange for a premium, upon the death of an insured person (policy holder).
Policy Holder: This is the one whose life is to be insured.
Insurer/Assurer: This refers to financial institutions that have the right to insure people/properties.
Premium: This is the amount you pay every month to keep the policy active. IT WILL INTEREST YOU TO KNOW THAT SOME POLICIES COULD BE AS LOW AS ($2) THAT IS EQUIVALENT TO TWO THOUSAND (2,000) naira/ month. I am sure a lot of us spend well above this on recharge cards and internet subscriptions. You wouldn’t know if you don’t ask.
TYPES OF INSURANCE
There are several types of insurance portfolios, ranging from:
• Property insurance
• Car insurance
• Fire insurance
• Professional indemnity insurance
• Life insurance
• Others
Imagine if the victims whose properties and cars were damaged during protests all had insurance. Even though, it was a tragic event, they would all replace those things without any sweat. That is the power of insurance. Like I said, I will be focusing solely on LIFE INSURANCE in this post as it relates to the elderly or senior citizens.
LIFE INSURANCE
This is when an individual has an agreement with an insurance company to pay a fixed amount at his or her death to a next of kin, based on his or her premium payments. Just think about this, if every parent who had died at the age of 75 years took on an insurance at 45 years of age , they would probably leave about 15million naira to their next of kin as insurance benefits! This wise decision by some late parents have given the children they left behind better lives!
THREE REASONS WHY PEOPLE DON’T GET A LIFE INSURANCE
1. The fear of monthly premium payment, it is not unusual for humans to be afraid of what they have little knowledge about. However, I would encourage you to visit insurance companies and find out how you can get a life insurance for your elderly ones, you would be surprised they have different packages, and you will definitely see the one you can afford.
Let me surprise you, if you enrol for an insurance policy at age 59 and you agree to pay the premium for 20 years . It will only require you to pay just as little as 7% of your monthly earnings, which is lesser than the amount you pay for several subscriptions like DStv, airtime, data and so on.
If you have this kind of policy, you might not die a multi-millionaire, but at your death, your children would be millionaires. Please think about this.
2. Fear of death, a lot of people believe if they should enrol for a life insurance, it is like inviting death more quickly. This is so not true! Death is an inevitable end for all, but the wisdom to get a life insurance is for a few, and only the wise prepare for their deaths.
3. Fear of loosing money. A lot of people might ask, what if I didn’t die at 70years of age, and my policy would lapse at age 70, what would happen to my money?
For every problem there is a solution if you dare to ask and seek for it!
There are two things you can do to ensure you do not loose money.
A. You can apply for a “CONVERSION ORDER” towards the end of your policy. For example, if your policy is 10years, and you are already at the tenth year, you can tell your insurance company to convert your policy from “TERM LIFE POLICY” to a “WHOLE LIFE POLICY” Do not worry, you would understand the difference between the two when I talk about the types of life insurance.
B. You can opt for ROP (RETURN OF PREMIUM), this helps to prevent the forfeiture of your money. For instance, if your life insurance policy is for 20 years and you applied when you were 50years old. It means that if you didn’t die at 70years the money would go to the insurance company. However, if you die before the 20 years, the assured amount would be paid to your next of kin or a named beneficiary.
Therefore, people can loose money in insurance, but to prevent this, you can take advantage of the ROP. In ROP package, at the end of the stipulated time if you are still alive, the issurer ( your insurance company) will start paying you back your premium! Thus, it becomes a form of savings plan for you. It is a win-win, you just need to know what to do in life, and you are a winner!
Do not forget, you have two choices in safeguarding your life insurance package:
•Conversion order ( CO)
•Return of premium (ROP)
TYPES OF LIFE INSURANCE
Like I said, life insurance is just one out of many insurance packages available out there. Just like there are different types of insurance, also there are different types of life insurance:
I. Term Life Insurance: under this type of life insurance, life is only insure for a determined period of time. For example, a 35 years old man can insure his life for 35years. This means he only has 35 years coverage. If he dies within this period, the benefits go to the named beneficiary. If he lives beyond this period, the entire money would be forfeited to the insurance company, except there is a conversion order.
II. Whole Life Insurance: this simply means your insurance policy would cover you from the moment you apply till one’s death. The implication of this is the fact that you might have to pay more premium. However, do not forget that more premium means more benefits to your named beneficiary at your death, and you won’t be needing a conversion order.
III. Instant life insurance: this type of life insurance is for a very brief period, it requires very small amount of premium, and it is renewable. But the benefits if attracts may not be as high or robust as the two above.
WHY SHOULD YOU GET A LIFE INSURANCE FOR YOUR ELDERLY ONES?
* In case of sudden illness and eventualities, the insurance company will be right there to help.
* It prevents you from going into debts because of burial arrangements.
* There would be enough money to maintain or execute their intending legacy.
* It is a wise way of breaking the chains of poverty.
* The benefits become a source of capital for the named beneficiary.
My friend, if you have a stable source of income get a life insurance for yourself, and get for your parents if they cannot afford to get for themselves. Make it a family tradition, this is wisdom!
EXAMPLES OF WHERE YOU CAN GET A LIFE INSURANCE:
- Banks
- Leadway
- Axa mansard
- AIICO
- Custodian
- Liberty Mutual
- Berkshire Hathaway
- AIG
- AM Trust Group
Some of the companies listed above are not based in Nigeria, but the ones that are based in Nigeria are there too.
Also, it will interest you to know that some of the companies have online platforms, hence they have helped you out in eliminating the stress of visiting their offices. You can apply online, and monitor your account through their online platforms. Notwithstanding, visiting their branches for more information would be a wise move.
Kindly note, I do not take any responsibility for your financial decisions, I have only shared with you what I think will be of great benefit to you and your elderly ones. For the avoidance of doubt, I have not collected a Penny from any of the above companies to list their names here.
Thank you always I await your comments and contributions.
Author
My name is Adesuyi Adesina, the founder and CEO of Ganat Healthcare Initiative and Ganat Empire Limited. I am passionate about the care and health of older persons in our society. Senior citizens deserve good elderly care homes and better healthcare services.
