Life Insurance Benefits For Retired Workers
Employees reaching retirement (age 60+) often worry about continuation of life insurance protection beyond active employment. The fact is life insurance for retired employees is scarcely available.
Life Insurance Protection For Retired Workers
On reaching retirement employees in most private firms generally tend to lose life insurance protection that they had from their employers while on the job. Thankfully some employers do continue a minor portion of life insurance for retirees, with some income protection for dependents. Moreover life insurance benefits and coverage provided to retired workers, is far less compared to what is provided for active workers.
But the few benefits of life insurance policy for retired workers are:
At least there are funds to pay for the funeral and other costs associated with death. Some could even cover estate taxes. Life insurance, when it’s placed in an irrevocable life insurance trust to keep it out of the estate, can provide the funds to pay for any estate-tax liability.
How Can People Get The Benefits From Life Insurance?
Although many survivors tend to misuse the benefits when someone dies, there are survivors who are professionals who lose time at work therefore lose some income while recuperating from the shock. Typically, adjustment costs aren’t very high some are lucky to get an extra $10,000. But an additional $10,000 of insurance can be obtained at a very small cost.
Most workers eligible for pension benefits choose a joint-and-survivor option. This guarantees benefits through the life of the surviving spouse, but it pays the couple 20% to 25% less than the maximum pension benefit. Under the pension maximization approach, the retiring worker chooses the single-life option (with the spouse’s written consent), which pays out the maximum benefit for the life of the pensioner. The difference between this amount and the smaller amount the pensioner would have received under the joint-and-survivor option is used to buy life insurance.
If the pensioner dies first the surviving spouse uses the death proceeds to continue to pay for retirement but if the spouse dies before the pensioner, maximum benefits continue to be paid out. The good news is that insurance purchased for other purposes while you are younger is likely to pay for itself and fund the desired benefits with no additional costs after retirement
Employees reaching retirement often worry about continuation of life insurance protection beyond active employment. The fact is life insurance for retired employees is scarcely available.
Life Insurance Protection For Retired Workers
On reaching retirement employees in most private firms generally tend to lose life insurance protection that they had from their employers while on the job. Thankfully some employers do continue a minor portion of life insurance for retirees, with some income protection for dependents. Moreover life insurance benefits and coverage provided to retired workers, is far less compared to what is provided for active workers.
But the few benefits of life insurance policy for retired workers are:
At least there are funds to pay for the funeral and other costs associated with death. Some could even cover estate taxes. Life insurance, when it’s placed in an irrevocable life insurance trust to keep it out of the estate, can provide the funds to pay for any estate-tax liability.
How Can People Get The Benefits From Life Insurance?
Although many survivors tend to misuse the benefits when someone dies, there are survivors who are professionals who lose time at work therefore lose some income while recuperating from the shock. Typically, adjustment costs aren’t very high some are lucky to get an extra $10,000. But an additional $10,000 of insurance can be obtained at a very small cost.
Most workers eligible for pension benefits choose a joint-and-survivor option. This guarantees benefits through the life of the surviving spouse, but it pays the couple 20% to 25% less than the maximum pension benefit. Under the pension maximization approach, the retiring worker chooses the single-life option (with the spouse’s written consent), which pays out the maximum benefit for the life of the pensioner. The difference between this amount and the smaller amount the pensioner would have received under the joint-and-survivor option is used to buy life insurance.
If the pensioner dies first the surviving spouse uses the death proceeds to continue to pay for retirement but if the spouse dies before the pensioner, maximum benefits continue to be paid out. The good news is that insurance purchased for other purposes while you are younger is likely to pay for itself and fund the desired benefits with no additional costs after retirement
Conclusion
Today it is essential for both spouses to work if they wish to maintain their lifestyle if one should be left behind. Generally our relative insurance needs reduce as we age, but our absolute needs may actually increase because of inflation. Permanent life insurance is probably a great option because it grows tax deferred. If you manage to build up a fairly significant cash value by retirement, this can be turned into an annuity or drawn on when you need it most, especially in the future when inflation could erode the buying power of your pension benefits.
Those employees who had retiree life insurance coverage can enjoy the benefits through life but the remaining fraction of workers who had life insurance coverage continued until attainment of a specified age or only for a given number of months post retirement.
Today it is essential for both spouses to work if they wish to maintain their lifestyle if one should be left behind. Generally our relative insurance needs reduce as we age, but our absolute needs may actually increase because of inflation. Permanent life insurance is probably a great option because it grows tax deferred. If you manage to build up a fairly significant cash value by retirement, this can be turned into an annuity or drawn on when you need it most, especially in the future when inflation could erode the buying power of your pension benefits.
Those employees who had retiree life insurance coverage can enjoy the benefits through life but the remaining fraction of workers who had life insurance coverage continued until attainment of a specified age or only for a given number of months post retirement.
As principal licensed life insurance agent Bennett Bier has helped 1000’s of people purchase life insurance online & over the phone. During his career he has become the go to expert for securing hard to place term and permanent life insurance policies for clients across the nation. With his wealth of knowledge of each life insurance carrier’s products and underwriting he provides honest answers and advice to every client. Bennett Bier and his team will work tirelessly to successfully secure the coverage your family deserves.
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