5 Ways to Protect Your Family's Financial Independence

If you have a growing family, you probably realize that it has a way of outgrowing everything, especially their income and that there is a need for financial management.

While you are working towards achieving financial independence, think also about simultaneously implementing steps for protecting it. 

Having the right types of financial insurance and proper estate planning helps to relieve you of concerns associated with protecting your family's financial independence should a negative, unexpected event happens.

Consider these 5 financial management strategies for doing so:

1. Purchase long-term care insurance (LTCi) 

Long-term care Insurance is available to cover you if you acquire a chronic disease or disability and relieves your family of the burden of providing for your personal care. As I said in an previous post on long term care insurance, this type of policy covers the possibility of you not being able to perform at least two activities of daily living, without assistance, with the expectations that it will last at least 90 days. 

It includes a wide range of healthcare and social services such as day care, custodial care, home health care, hospice care, intermediate care, respite care, and skilled nursing care. LTCi does not cover hospital care.

2. Maintain appropriate levels of life, auto, home, and health insurance benefits.

Life insurance is one of the most important products you must consider obtaining in order to provide financial security for your loved ones. Auto accidents can cause financial and economic havoc to you and your family. Besides, in most states it's legally required. 

3. Homeowners insurance is especially a necessity for both homeowners and renters if you want to ensure that your possession are protected in case of a fire, theft, liability, or any other disaster. And, if you have ever been sick or injured, you know that it is important to have the right type of health insurance

4. Evaluate the need for an umbrella policy to help protect you from lawsuits. A serious personal liability lawsuit can reach catastrophic levels for the party defending the law suit as the judgment may potentially exceed the insurance policy liability limits. 

Once the liability limits are exhausted, the insured is often forced to pay a substantial amount out-of-pocket. Depending on your occupation and situation, you may require increased protection against catastrophic lawsuits.

5. Make sure your estate planning is up to date. The field of estate planning is a very complicated. It requires a focus on wills, taxes, law, and life insurance. 

Achieving and protecting your financial independence goes together. While it would be a shame for you to lose a substantial amount of of your money by gambling or taking a chance on risky stocks, it is equally a shame to have to pay out a substantial amount of money on a major hospital bill, for care in a nursing home, or through losing a court suit. After all you worked for it, why not keep it and pass it on.

I'll be delving into estate planning in a future post. 


Your Comments?