More than a week ago, a former co-teacher and a friend died at the age of 35 due to complications of high blood pressure shoot up and stroke. She left her husband and three sons; 7 years old, 5 years old, and 7 months old.
Please do not take this as an insensitive post but rather respond to this with urgency. While we can never prepare for an emotional loss, one can lessen the impacts of death by preventing the sudden financial loss that goes with it.
My husband was totally disabled at the age of 33 due to a brain injury secondary to cardiac arrest in 2016. At the age of 33, I was a struggling mother of 2 and 5-year-old daughters and a hurting wife.
The following year, we've lost a friend and a former classmate, age 33, due to complications of ectopic pregnancy and a friend's husband died due to a vehicular accident at the age of 34. The list goes back to our batchmate who was disabled the age of 32, a classmate who died in his late 20s due to an aggressive disease, and the one that our batch lost when we were still in college due to a vehicular accident. All of them have left a hurting family.
These are real stories of real people who are close to me and for sure, you know a number of the same cases, too: sudden death or disability at a very young age.
Questions:
If you suddenly get sick and need a long-term medication, who will pay for the bills and medication?
If you meet an accident, who will pay for your treatment?
If you suddenly die for whatever possible reason, who will provide for your family?
Who will pay for the bills, for the food on the table, and for the kids' education?
Can your spouse provide for these alone?
Is your current savings enough for all of these needs?
Would you rather sell your hard earned house and car in the future rather than start saving now? Would you rather risk the possibility of your children dropping out of their classes because no one will pay for their expenses anymore?
In our case, when my husband was disabled, we were able to claim a critical illness benefit from his life insurance with Manulife enough for me to have time in setting up the rhythm of our new normal before I started working again (I will have a separate post on this.).
Life insurance is NOT an additional expense. Life insurance is a form of savings that will save you and your family in the future when you will be needing money the most. It will protect your family from the financial loss that goes with sickness, disability, and death.
My friend, my job is to help you prepare in protecting your family's future while you can. What I can do for you is to make sure that your spouse and children will have enough to keep them afloat when you're gone. Because when your time comes, sympathy and moral support alone will not be enough. What they will need more, other than prayer, is the financial stability as if you are still there. Financial stability that only you can provide. Now.
Let me help you.
HONEYLETTE I. BAGTAS
Financial Advisor
Manulife Philippines
