How much life insurance is enough?

One of the most common questions when purchasing life insurance is, “How much is enough?” The answer lies in what’s called a needs analysis. A needs analysis examines your specific financial and personal situation to help determine the type and amount of life insurance that will best satisfy your needs.

One of the first decisions you will have to make when purchasing life insurance is whether to choose term or permanent coverage.

Term life insurance can offer coverage from one year to 30 years or longer, and is often purchased to provide funds for financial obligations such as a mortgage or a child’s tuition in case the insured dies.

Permanent life insurance, which includes whole life and universal life policies, generally provides coverage throughout a person’s life. Unlike term insurance, a permanent life policy may gradually accumulate a cash value, which you may be able to borrow against while the policy is still active or cash in upon surrender of the policy.

Determining the right amount of coverage requires a solid understanding of all your policy options as well as your financial needs and goals.

A needs analysis will seek answers to questions like: What are my family’s immediate and future income needs? How much supplemental income will they need to meet expenses if I were to die tomorrow? And how much can I afford to pay in premium?

Your roles as a spouse, grandparent, stay-at-home parent or small business owner mean you have specific needs. If you have not purchased life insurance yet, consider sitting down with an insurance agent to discuss your situation and options. If you already have a policy, discuss with your agent if it’s still appropriate for your present situation and any lifestyle changes that may be on the horizon.

Visit http://www.amfam.com/learning-center/my-money/life-needs-calculator.asp  to find a Life Needs Calculator to determine individual life insurance coverage needs and to learn more about SimplyProtected Term life insurance and the entire portfolio of life insurance products offered by American Family Life Insurance Company, a member of the American Family Insurance Group.

Todd Stanley has been an agent for American Family Life Insurance Company since 2011. His office is located at 2500 Glenn Ave.  Sioux City, IA. Todd can be contacted at (712) 274-1045 to learn more about the entire portfolio of life insurance products offered by American Family Life Insurance Company, a member of the American Family Insurance Group, home office Madison, WI., 53783. Some products are not available in all states.

Keep the rage out of your driving

The bullies who drive on our nation’s roadways cause us to fear for our safety and, at times, even our lives. Are you an aggressive driver? Consider these questions:

• Do you tailgate slower vehicles to encourage them to speed up or get out of your way?
• Do you weave in and out of heavy traffic to “make better time?”
• Do you make inappropriate gestures, honk your horn or flash your headlights at drivers who are not meeting your standards?
• Do you push yellow lights to the point that they sometimes turn red before you are all the way through the intersection?

If your answer is yes to any of the above, you may want to rethink your driving behavior. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates two-thirds of traffic fatalities are at least partly caused by aggressive driving. For your own safety and the safety of others, drive smart and don’t let the road bullies get to you.

Remember that you cannot control traffic, but you can control your reaction to it. Assume other drivers’ mistakes are not personal; we all have bad days. Be polite and courteous, even if the other driver is not.

If another driver challenges you, avoid eye contact and move out of the way. Driving is not a game, and you should never underestimate the other driver’s capacity for mayhem. Under no circumstances should you pull off on the side of the road to try and straighten out the situation.

Report aggressive driving behavior to the appropriate authorities by providing a vehicle description, license plate number, location and direction of travel.

In summary, keep your composure when driving. Don’t try to make others do what you want them to do, or retaliate against someone who’s driving recklessly. Courtesy is contagious.