If you’ve purchased a life insurance policy, you’ve taken a crucial first step in safeguarding your loved ones’ financial futures. However, life insurance coverage should be as dynamic as your life. While insurance may not always be at the forefront of your mind, setting aside time each year to review your coverage with a licensed agent can help you get the most out of your life insurance plan.

What aspects of life insurance should I review each year?

Your annual life insurance review should focus on a few key areas.

Coverage amount

Life insurance should help your loved ones manage expenses that your income covers, including mortgages, childcare, utilities, and more. So it’s imperative that you have the right coverage amount to include all of the expenses your loved ones might face.

Your annual insurance review should cover any significant changes in your financial circumstances that might affect your coverage needs. For example, if you had children or moved to a more expensive home in the past year, you may find your current policy wouldn’t be enough for your loved ones to pay off debt or replace income if the unexpected happened. Fidelity Life’s life insurance calculator can help you determine an appropriate policy size based on your unique situation.

Policy term

If you have a term life policy, your coverage will last only for the period you chose when you purchased the policy. However, your insurer may allow you to change that term to a shorter or longer one if your situation demands it. If your budget, family situation, or goals have changed, a different term length may better suit your needs.

For example, if you recently moved into a home and signed a 30-year mortgage with your spouse, you might want to exchange your current 10-year term policy for one that lasts 30 years and could cover the mortgage balance if something happened to you.

Type of policy

Insurers offer a range of life insurance policies to accommodate various budgets and situations. When you review your life insurance each year, one of the major questions you and your licensed insurance agent should discuss is whether your policy type still fits your circumstances.

For example, suppose you currently have a term life insurance policy but recently had a child with special needs. In that case, you may decide that a whole life insurance policy that provides lifelong support is a better option. You may also want to convert a portion of your term life plan to whole life so you can be certain your beneficiaries receive some financial support.

Beneficiary designations

Your beneficiaries are the people or entities who will receive your death benefit if you pass away while your insurance policy is active, so it’s important to ensure they remain up-to-date. Any significant life changes like marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child could be cause for an update.

Your primary beneficiaries are first in line to receive a payout. However, it’s helpful to have secondary beneficiaries as well, in case your primary beneficiary also passes away or otherwise cannot accept the death benefit.

Are there times I should review life insurance outside of an annual review?

Annual life insurance reviews are a great financial habit. However, changes in your family, home, or workplace often call for an additional life insurance review. When your family grows or changes, when you begin a new job, when your health improves, or when you make a major financial decision, it’s important to make sure your life insurance is right for your new circumstances.

Change in family structure

Additions or transitions within your family often influence your life insurance needs in more ways than one. If you get married, for example, you’ll likely want to include your new spouse as a beneficiary, but you also might consider increasing the death benefit to replace your portion of household expenses.

Likewise, the birth or adoption of a child or grandchild is both incredibly joyous and expensive. In addition to increasing coverage and adding beneficiaries to your policy, you might want to extend your policy’s term with college tuition in mind.

Finally, if your family experiences a loss like a death or a divorce, you may need to update your beneficiaries.

Change in employment

Pay special attention to life insurance as you compare the benefits you received at your old job to those offered by your new one. Employers sometimes provide group life insurance, but coverage typically ends when you leave your job. These group life policies offer modest coverage, ranging between $25,000 and a multiple of your annual salary. For this reason, many people supplement group life insurance with a personal life insurance policy.

You should also review your life insurance policy if your new job has drastically different responsibilities and working conditions. Life insurance providers typically charge higher premiums or offer less coverage for individuals who work in physically demanding, high-risk jobs. What’s considered a high-risk profession will vary across insurance providers, but often included are first responders, construction workers, and delivery drivers.

It also makes sense to review your life insurance if you move from a high-risk job to one that would be considered a lower risk, as you may qualify for a better rate or improved coverage.

Changes in health

Chronic health issues, pre-existing conditions, or unhealthy habits can limit your affordable life insurance options. So, if your health has significantly improved, you should review your life insurance plan. Maybe you’ve recently kicked a smoking habit or have lost a significant amount of weight. In that case, your health improvement might qualify you for better life insurance coverage.

On the other hand, if your health declines during your coverage period, you don’t have to worry about changes to your rates; your policy will remain active, and costs will stay the same as long as you continue paying premiums.

New debt

Unfortunately, your loved ones could inherit some forms of debt after you die. Home loans, some personal loans, business loans, and any debt accrued on a shared account are just a few types of debt that could land in your family’s hands if you’re gone. Therefore, if you take out new loans, you should determine who will foot the bill in your absence and review your life insurance policy to ensure you have a large enough death benefit to cover debts that will pass on to a loved one.

Let Fidelity Life help with your annual life insurance review

If it’s been a while since you’ve reviewed your life insurance policy, or if you’ve just undergone a big life change, Fidelity Life can help. A licensed insurance agent can help you parse your existing policy and walk you through any coverage areas that may need an update. Receive an online quote or call Fidelity Life today to make sure your life insurance policy is still right for your life.