According to a recent survey 74% of couples never or very rarely discuss life insurance, despite stating  that life insurance is more important a subject to them than two years ago. The research was carried out by KRC Research on behalf of a new State Farm Life Insurance Company and aimed to find out about peoples’ attitudes towards life insurance and the factors which influence them. Over 1000 American adults took part in a random telephone survey in August of this year.

Women less Likely to Initiate a Discussion about Life Insurance

The results of the interviews showed that primary earners within families found it the most difficult to broach the subject of life insurance, with women being slightly less likely to initiate a discussion; 64% of women compared with 47% of men were less prepared to talk about the prospect of being the only breadwinner – showing that life insurance for women is a particular trouble spot.

According to Professor Mary Quist-Newins, Chair for Women and Finance at State Farm Insurance and the American College, “Women, in particular, appear to be especially silent on this topic, and this is troubling when increasing numbers of women are becoming primary income earners for their families.”

Reasons for Avoidance include Economic Insecurity

Reasons for avoidance are thought to include worries about daily economic issues, and fear of upsetting the other partner. But, according to Joe Monk, Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at State Farm Life Insurance “As awkward as it can be to discuss the potential death of a family member, an uncomfortable discussion today can prevent a devastating financial impact tomorrow.”

The survey found that 62% of those questioned believed that, due to the economic downturn life insurance was more important than ever. But when asked why they were reluctant to discuss this important topic 74% said that simply meeting their families’ immediate financial needs as the sole earner was their main concern – in many cases this having become a struggle. 51% said that they would not be prepared to start a discussion about life insurance in the event of their partner losing their job since they would consider this insensitive, in terms of hurting their feelings.

Encouragingly (85%) the couples questioned believed that it was just as important for stay at home moms and dads to take out life insurance as it was for partners who worked.

Make Time to Talk about Life Insurance

With the current economic instability making plans for the financial future is more important than ever – State Farm’s advice is start small – even becoming more educated about life insurance options is a step forward – and the best way to do this is to consult a life insurance expert who can provide information about all the different options available.

Source:

Insurancenewsnet.com September 2010

photo credit: gripso_banana_prune

The Beckett Glaves Funeral Center in Brantford, has become the first funeral home in Canada to offer funeral services on live webcam.  This was the type of funeral Larry Ruidema Zudd’s family chose for him recently.

Larry Rudd, a soldier from Brantford, was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan last year and his funeral service was streamed live from Brantford to his colleagues in Afghanistan and to relatives in British Columbia and Holland who watched the service on their computers at home.

Facebook for Funerals

The new technology has been touted as ‘Facebook for funerals,’ meaning that footage from the webcam can also be watched the next day, which was a help to Larry Rudd’s relatives in B.C since some of them lost visuals of the funeral during the service.

Life Insurance is an Option worth considering when it comes to funeral costs

For those left behind, having to arrange a funeral service for a loved one, online service or not, is one of life’s less pleasant tasks. Having the additional burden of wondering how to cover the expenses of funerals is even worse; which is why many people choose to take out life insurance which has the option to pay cash to the bereaved to cover funeral costs (sometimes cash can be paid directly to the funeral directors).

Parents of Baby Boomers would “Turn in their Graves”

The idea of online funerals doesn’t appeal to everyone, admits Glaves – “The big fear is those crazies on the internet – that mom or dad will end up in their casket on You Tube.” There is also the fact that some funeral homes are attempting to make profits by charging as much as $500 for the extra service (the Beckett Glaves Funeral Center provides the webcam for free).

When you consider that the average cost of a funeral in the US is $6500, according to the National Funeral Directors Association, it becomes apparent that dying is expensive for those left behind; this is worth remembering when taking out Life Insurance and planning ahead is the key.

Take up of Online Funerals is Rising

Around 80% of people are apparently signing up for the ‘sympathy cast’ according to Glaves, and those that decide against the service are usually baby boomers arranging funerals for parents. “They’re saying I would like to do this for me but mom would hate it.” Glaves admitted that his father, who was funeral director before him, ‘would have been horrified.’”

But, according to Paul Generowicz, owner of Sympathynet.com, the technology has been a ‘godsend’ for friends and relatives who cannot physically attend funerals – for instance because they live too far away or are confined to bed (or even prison). This is something Larry Rudd’s mother, reiterated: Zuidema Rudd said that broadcasting her son’s funeral was a comfort and that “it brought our family together without them having to come here.”

Source

Susan Pigg, The Star.com August 2010

photo credit: The National Guard

People resuscitated from the point of dying have battled with and beaten the thing we fear most – death. About 5% of people report having a near death experience. They often talk of seeing bright lights, being reunited with lost loved ones, or having an out-of-body experience. The types of near death experiences reported often follow a similar theme and many people say they found the instances comforting.

Opinions differ about what happens to people when hovering between life and death, and many believe these types of experiences may be the only real knowledge we have about life on the ‘other side’. Surely people who have ‘seen the light’ cannot be held accountable to science?

Scientific Explanations for Near-death Experiences

A team of scientists led by Dr Lakhmir Chawla, working at the George Washington Medical Centre in Washington DC, believe that near death experiences could simply be a result of a surge in electrical activity in the brain prior to death. Dr Chawla feels that this sudden spurt of energy in the brain, after activity has gradually fallen off, could cause people to have vivid feelings or hallucinations.

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