Close Close
Popular Financial Topics Discover relevant content from across the suite of ALM legal publications From the Industry More content from ThinkAdvisor and select sponsors Investment Advisor Issue Gallery Read digital editions of Investment Advisor Magazine Tax Facts Get clear, current, and reliable answers to pressing tax questions
Luminaries Awards
ThinkAdvisor

Life Health > Life Insurance

LIMRA, Life Happens survey flags impact of primary wage earner loss

X
Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

The emotional loss of someone close is always hard.  If they are a primary wage earner the financial loss can be devastating.

This week LIMRA and Life Happens released findings from the 2014 Insurance Barometer at the Life Insurance Conference in Chicago. In it consumers were asked how long it would take to feel the financial impact from the loss of a primary wage earner. More than half said they would feel the impact within a year; 47 percent of them in only six months. (see chart)

Yet, millions of Americans are without life insurance. We know consumers think it is important as 80 percent of respondents said they believe most people need life insurance.  Yet only one in five are very likely to recommend it to a friend and only 10 percent are very or extremely likely to purchase a policy within the next year.

Perhaps these inconsistencies are partially explained by the responses of 28 percent of those surveyed who said they don’t know how long it would take to feel the financial impact after the loss of the primary wage earner.

If nearly a third of the people admit they don’t know the financial impact of losing a primary wage earner, that’s an important opening for companies and advisors to start a dialogue. As a start, these consumers can be encouraged to obtain a needs analysis to better understand their financial vulnerabilities and strengths. LIMRA research shows that people who have received a needs analysis are more likely to buy a policy and to purchase more coverage than those without one.

A needs analysis allows consumers to get a better understanding of the financial risks they face and how much the coverage they need to protect their family. Not surprisingly, purchasing the right amount of coverage ranked first among the factors consumers found important when considering life insurance, according to the study. 

The Insurance Barometer is an annual trending study that tracks perceptions, attitudes and behaviors of consumers with a particular emphasis on life insurance.


NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.