I’m considering getting life insurance so I’m looking for reasons to invest. I don’t want to be one of those egotistical humans who thinks ‘I’m going to live forever.’ In fact, I’ve got a very true, possibly over-exaggerated, sense of mortality. I’m not sure if this is because I’m ‘the writer type’ and I have a wild imagination or whether my near-death experiences could have been the reason.
These were my near-death experiences
Nightclub fire in Japan
I was pushed into a lift in a high-rise nightclub when a fire started in the stairwell, which was the only ‘other way out’ apart from one lift on the other side of the room. Before being pushed into the lift by some hero, my whole life flashed before my eyes when smoke filled them and I started to choke. This was one of the scariest moments of my life. One person, who snapped me into ‘flight mode’ was a more-frightened-than-me barman, who ran past me with a look of horror on his face. He did help my cause because I was out down that lift and out of that nightclub as quick as someone could yell…’Fire!….’
P.S They put it out. No-one died. Just in case you were wondering.
Numerous freaked-me-out flights
On the topic of ‘fright or flight mode’ other near-death experiences have included several really bad flights. One such experience included a very rocky flight over mountains to Italy, which nearly took my life. Then there was the plane that came in sideways on the tarmac in Wellington. My plane actually made the 6 o’clock news! Weird experience watching me, in a sideways plane on the telly. Then there was the flight from Brisbane, which got caught in an electrical storm. I got into the ‘Penina’ brace position, which involves nearly suffocating the child in my lap, slight hyperventilation and clawing people – any people within arms reach.
Two OMG earthquake experiences
I was also in several large earthquakes in Japan. Both earthquakes happened out at sea but these were enough to scare me into going home. Four years of that kind of fear and I was gone. I just didn’t see how that little earthquake pack they told me to pack would help….
Woah. I lived to tell all of the above tales. So happy!
Even so, I need more reasons to invest in life insurance
So you’d think near-death experiences like the ones above would push me into gear. But as a busy mum, who is now balancing budgets, work life and domestic duties, I need more reasons to fork out my family’s hard-earned cash and invest our reserve funds in the case of a morbid event like death. In my books death feels like an event that won’t happen to me soon, or while I’m still young or in a lifetime I’ll remember anyway.
I figure: I’m not going to remember dying and if I’m dead, why should I care?
Actually, I’m really not that cynical. I just wanted to feel like a hard-core sherry-drinking I-deserve-my-age older person for a moment.
Felt good too….
Actually, a letter from the Queen would be nice, so I am hoping for the best….
So here are 9 reasons I’ve come up with for deciding to put money on my life
1. Stay-at-home mums are worth over $110,000 a year!
According to mom.salary.com a stay-home-mum is worth over $110,000+ a year if you were to add her duties up in terms of the cost to replace her! So add the salary of a working mum to that and you’ve got some pretty hefty bills to pay to cover what mum’s doing – if she decides to leave this Earth early.
2. Funerals cost a pretty penny
The average cost of a funeral is around $6000 and if your family doesn’t have an emergency fund this will hurt like childbirth. It wouldn’t be nice to have people standing around your coffin, quibbling over money while you are waiting to be buried now would it? Not classy…
3. Your family might miss your amazing money-making skills
If you do happen to be in a well-paid job, your family are not only going to miss you but they are also going to miss your money and the lovely lifestyle you were providing them. Should Bob really have to miss out on those facials he so loves? And what if Missy wants a new toolbox from Bunnings with all the tradie trimmings? She should have it!
4. You might like the house, but you won’t like the mortgage
If you happen to be in debt it would also not-be-so-nice to leave your loved ones with mortgage payments or those hefty high-interest payments on that flash 4WD you put on the credit card when you had that mid-life crisis – would it?
No. An act like that just isn’t very nice.
5. Your kids will miss out on Ski and beach adventures
Then there are the kids. Personally I wouldn’t want my kids working three jobs while trying to go to lectures at Uni like I did. It would be nice if they could actually get to the lectures, learn something other than how to skip class and then go off in the summer holidays with their rich friends to Ski resorts and exotic beach locations – like I never got to do. Poor me…
Although – working this hard did make me a better person in the long run. I leave you to ruminate on that one…
6. Whole generations might not remember you well
Who would pay for all the expenses related to your kids?
Trust me, they look like little diamonds and that’s because they’re not cheap!
As for your parents?
Hopefully – they took care of you in their own ‘big picture.’ But if they didn’t, and they spent your inheritance and their entire Super Fund on a trip down the Rhine before venturing home broke, you might need some money for them too!
7. You’ll miss out the perfect parting bash
If you love a party you may want to pay for an outstanding funeral for yourself. If you are going to go – you might as well do it with a bang! Right?
Give them an event to remember you by.
I’m thinking Fireworks, near a river before they throw my ashes in…hmmm
8. Life’s too short to make everyone around you broke
Surely, you wouldn’t want to be remembered as the person who made everyone’s life hell after you left – would you?
I guess it depends how much you like your friends and family.
If you don’t want to upset people and you invest in life insurance – everyone will be sad at first and then really happy! They’ll think they’ve won the lotto!
But they would miss you…
Mainly they’d miss you in those quiet moments like in the car, when they realise they forgot to grab the wallet-filled-with-cash-you-gave-them before leaving home!
9. You’ll sleep better at night
Finally – peace of mind is well worth the money. You’ll sleep better at night knowing everyone will be OK in the unlikely event of your untimely death.
So don’t get morbid about death! Invest in life insurance and plan your loved ones a nice big party to remember you by!
If you are interested in taking a leap of faith and putting money on your life, be sure to compare life insurance policies to get the best deal.