Accidental death insurance is available from many different companies and is just that; coverage for death due to an accident. Reading and understanding the fine print in all policy information is important. Sometimes, there can be one word that changes the whole meaning of what individuals think they have coverage for.

I suppose this is a good time to let you know I sold Life Insurance for 8 years and was more of a Social Worker than an insurance agent.  There were some things I just could not do in all good consciousness.  The lack of congruency with what I was doing and who I was/am as a person did not mesh, hence my change in career to being a grief counsellor.

I remember several years ago being called to a family’s home to go through a plastic grocery bag full of “life insurance policies”, or what the younger adults were told were life insurance policies.  The senior family members had purchased “life insurance” to help with final expenses, or so they thought.

Sad, but true; there are occasions when individuals purchase products that do not do the job they were intended for.  Is this done out of ignorance and not understanding the product being purchased?  Are unscrupulous insurance people or phone solicitors catching vulnerable individuals and seniors or are people making assumptions they have what they need?

This family thought their senior parents had enough money for funeral expenses until they came to realize, since the parents died of natural causes and no accidental death occurred, there was no insurance coverage or pay out.  Years of insurance premiums paid and no coverage after their death.

While grieving over the death of a parent, this family had to scramble to find the money for funeral expenses.  Where does the money come from?  What if there is dissention in the family or if this situation causes conflict?  Ultimately, an unplanned situation occurred that was never intended to happen.

Let your family know what resources are there or what plans are in place for final expenses. If need be, have someone review your information; make sure if you have life insurance policies in place the policies will supply the financial support they were intended for.

Forewarned is forearmed.  This is information you may want to share with others so they are not caught off guard as this family was.  Remember one word can change the whole meaning of an insurance policy.

All my best,

Barbara Gillett Saunders