I have a confession.  I really don’t like to think about my own mortality.   Deep inside,  I know that Death is lurking in the shadows and that my days on this planet are numbered, but even still, I am in denial.  Any night of the week, I can turn on the local news at 10:00 and get a detailed of rundown of who has been shot, run over, or burned in a fire.  But I politely decline.  I have no interest in hearing the daily death toll that makes up the real-world Hunger Games.

While I understand and accept the fickle nature of life itself,  I have trouble accepting the possibility that death can happen to me anytime soon.  There are just too many people counting on me, and leaving them here alone is not an option.  I am thirty four years old, and not even halfway done with this life.  I still have places to go, and I still have to see my kids grow up and start families of their own.  And I still want to meet my kids’ kids.  And THEIR kids…  But how easily I lose perspective.  A colleague of mine at work who is a father of three (just like me) passed away last week from a respiratory infection gone wild.  Rest assured, he had every intention of getting to meet his grand-kids one day as well.  And he didn’t even get to see his kids graduate from high school.  Scary stuff.

My struggles with death go beyond thinking about my own demise; I have trouble at funerals as well.  I never know what to say to someone who is in grief.  I feel their pain and want to comfort them, but beyond the standard “I am very sorry for your loss,” I have no idea what to say.  I do absolutely believe in God, but unlike many- I don’t find comfort in religion when it comes to thinking about death.  I don’t think anyone can be 100% certain what will happen when we die, but I do know that I won’t be here anymore for those that count on me, and there is nothing in religion that helps that pill go down any easier.

I first made the decision to purchase life Insurance about five years ago, which is six years after I first became a dad.  It took me that long to really accept the reality that I wasn’t invincible.  I am still fairly young, and (more importantly) don’t smoke, so my insurance only costs me $37/month for a decent amount of protection. If something happens to me, Michelle would be able to pay off the house, and should have enough to cover bills and daycare for a few years while she figures out how to manage things. It still isn’t easy for me to think about or write about, but it does help me to sleep a little easier knowing that my family wouldn’t be on the street without me.

If like me, you have difficulty thinking or talking about death, you have to be willing to put that aside long enough to understand the importance of having life insurance.  It might cost you a little more or a little less than what I am paying, but life insurance is one of the most important investments you can make.  $37/month is less than a third of of the typical cable bill, and ensures that my kids will never have to go hungry or without a home,  even if I am not around to keep that promise myself.  You really can’t put a price on that.

If you have never considered purchasing life insurance, there are many different options out there and a lot of information to process, but don’t be intimidated.  Personally, I recommend keeping it simple.  If you have kids, purchase 20 year term insurance with a policy payout worth at least 5x your total annual income.  If you don’t have any dependents, I wouldn’t bother.  If an agent tries to sell you whole life insurance instead of term, find a new agent.  The older you are when you originate the policy, the higher your payments will be, but don’t let that hold you back.  Even if you never use it, investing in life insurance is an expense that you will never regret.