What to have ready before you ask for a life insurance quote

Most people put off asking for a life insurance quote for a simple reason: they assume it will be a long, confusing process. It rarely has to be. A quote is mostly a handful of facts about you and the people you want to protect. If you have those facts in front of you, the conversation can be short and the number you get back can be trusted.

Massey Life & Health Insurance Services puts it this way on its life insurance page: "Life is Unpredictable, Your Security Shouldn't Be." That line is a good reminder of why the preparation is worth the effort. You are not filling out a form for its own sake. You are lining up what your family would need if the unexpected happened.

The basic details a quote asks for

The quote form on this office's site asks for a short list of items. It helps to gather them before you sit down, so you are not hunting for a document halfway through.

• Your full name, as it appears on your ID.
• A telephone number where you will actually pick up.
• An email address you check regularly.
• Your date of birth.
• Your home address.
• Your gender.
• A health update: are you a smoker or a nonsmoker?

None of this is unusual. Age, health habits and tobacco use are among the things insurers generally weigh, which is why the questions are asked the way they are. Answer honestly. A quote built on a rounded-off answer tends to change later, and nobody enjoys a surprise after the paperwork is done.

If you are married, bring your spouse's details too

The form also has a section for a spouse. It asks for the same kinds of facts: name, gender, date of birth and a health update. If you are looking at coverage for a couple, it saves time to have both sets of information ready, and it is even better if your spouse is in the room for the conversation.

Why bother? Because in most households, life insurance is not really about one person. It is about the one who stays behind. The mortgage or rent, the grocery bill, the kids' school costs and the car payment all keep arriving. Talking about who depends on whom is the real starting point, and it is much easier when both people are part of it.

Questions to answer before you call

The form fields are the easy part. The harder, more valuable part is a few decisions only you can make. You do not need perfect answers, but rough ones will make the conversation much more productive.

• Who would need money if you were gone, and for how long?
• What bills must keep being paid no matter what: housing, utilities, food, transportation?
• Are there children who will need support through school?
• Do you have debts that would pass to someone else?
• Who should receive the benefit, and is there a backup choice?
• Do you already have coverage through work, and would you keep it if you changed jobs?

Write the answers on a sheet of paper. It does not need to be neat. When you can say, in plain words, what you want the coverage to do, any agent can help you match it to a policy. When you cannot, you risk buying something that sounds good and does not fit.

Planning ahead is the whole point

The office has a favorite saying on the subject: "Plan ahead! It wasn't raining, when Noah built the Ark!" It is a fun way to make a serious point. The best time to arrange protection is when nothing is wrong, when your health is steady and nobody is under pressure. Waiting for a reason usually means waiting for a worse moment.

There is a second idea on that same page worth repeating: "Life Insurance: It Doesn't Have to Be Expensive." Plenty of people skip the quote because they are sure they cannot afford it. They have never actually asked. Without a real quote, you are guessing, and guessing in the wrong direction costs families more than a ten-minute phone call ever will.

A simple way to use the quote

When the quote arrives, resist the urge to look only at the monthly figure. Ask what the coverage is meant to replace, how long it lasts, and what would happen if you could no longer make the payments. Compare options against the list you wrote, not against the neighbor's policy. Your neighbor has a different family, a different budget and different worries.

It also helps to put the quote beside the rest of your household budget. If the number strains your monthly spending, say so out loud. A good conversation about coverage includes the real limits of your finances, not an imaginary version of them.

Next step

If you would like to talk it through, Massey Life & Health Insurance Services offers a free one-hour consultation. Call (661) 304-1080, and bring your questions. The office is at 2627 South Waterman Ave., Ste. B, in San Bernardino.