Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
Since I have become a parent all my priorities in life have changed completely. I don’t leave the house on Friday nights anymore and I am no longer concerned with what clothes I wear or the latest movie to hit the big screen unless of course it is Angry Birds or the BFG!
I just love that saying that does the rounds on Facebook. If Bob the Builder didn’t make it and Barbie didn’t sing it then I just don’t know what you are talking about. This is just so true.
Ok so I am talking about trivial things here, but let’s get serious. Let’s talk about death. What happens to your children when you die?
Yes I know, this is not a nice topic to discuss but it is something that needs to be looked at. My blog so far has focused on topics like preparing for birth, bonding with your unborn baby and breast feeding your baby.. but what happens if you are not around to look after your child?
I remember clearly the week after we found out we were pregnant, my husband came to me and asked me for my identity number and some personal details so he could take out life insurance (no we weren’t married at this time so he didn’t have any of my information). I must have looked quite shocked but he looked at me and told me that if anything happens to him his baby must be looked after.
This is one of the things I love about my husband. He takes his responsibilities very seriously. No matter what happens I can trust that our children will be looked after.
What have you got in place in case you and/ or the father of your children dies? Who will look after your children and what finances will be available for their upkeep and their education?
I have been playing around with the Different Life Insurance cost calculator which will give you a good idea of the cost of life insurance and what you will receive for that premium including salary protection, disability cover and critical illness cover.
I also checked out their Live Chat and had a nice chat with Agnes about the different aspects of the life cover. I also checked out their call back option on their website. I was impressed, Catherine from the Different Life call center called me immediately and was very friendly and helpful.
Different life also offers something completely different which is their Different Donations section. When you sign up with Different Life your first payment and every yearly anniversary payment goes to Different.org which is an online crowdfunding platform that is funded by Different Life.
There are loads of different projects on the go and you can choose which project you want your Different Donation to go to. 100% of the donations go to the project and you can follow the progress of each project and also see all the donations that have come in.
The projects that are shown are just the sort of things that I really approve of and that I think can make a massive impact on our country.
I don’t know about you but I have often wanted to help people in our country but I often get rather skeptical about where all the money really goes to and how it is being spent. With Different Donations everything is transparent and there for you to see and follow which makes this the ideal place to donate money to.
So please go and check that out.
From what I can see here Different Life is not just about life insurance it is about uplifting others and our country which is certainly something that is needed in this day and age. For me I like to form personal relationships with people and businesses and I like to know that I matter, that I can make a difference.
I personally recommend Different Life and I suggest considering them for your life insurance needs. I will be because although my husband has done the mature thing it has taken me years to get around to getting life insurance for myself.
This is as great post! I don’t have kids yet, but I think this is important to learn and read about before the time comes where I will actually need to buy some. The life insurance cost calculator is a great tool, good thing you added that here so people can get an idea of the cost. Thanks for the information!
Very true Summerly, I wonder how it works when you have no kids when you take out the insurance and then you have kids? It might be a good idea anyway to get started soon if you can afford it and you are going to have children. Get a head start so to speak 🙂
What a great post. This is such a little thought about subject, especially for younger people. No one ever looks at their kids and thinks, “what if I die”. Yet it is so important!
This sounds like a great company! I love their donation program and the fact there is so much transparency in where the money goes.
I live in the US and wish we had something like that here. As far as I know we don’t. It’s all about how much money they can rake in for themselves here. I would very much be on board with a company like that in the US, even if they were a little more expensive.
Hi Julie
Yes I agree with you about that, so many companies seem to just focus on what money they can make and if they do some charity work it is often just to look good. Different Donations looks completely different nobody would put in that amount of effort like that just to appear to the public that they care about the community in South Africa.
I’m glad you enjoyed this post, it is a pity you are in the US!
Well I was skeptical about where money goes to when helping other people. Actually I still am. I am glad you found Different Donations. I delay insurance thing too, I think I should do sooner without delaying too much.
Great information.
Hi Furkan
Yeah I also don’t usually get involved with donations for exactly that reason. I always wonder how much is going to the cause and how much is lining somebody else’s pocket. That is why the Different Donations really appeals to me.
What a great tool. I agree life insurance is important, you never know. Some people wait till they get old, but that’s not the answer.
Hey Albert, yes I know what you mean and I am so sure that the older you get the less they will pay out right? The thing is that when I am old I assume that my children will have left the nest and will be self supporting. If i die now I leave a 2 year old and a 4 year old…. the really important time to take out life insurance is when you are young with young children.
I’ll be honest: I go back and forth between whether or not I should keep my life insurance or not. I thank my parents, because without their 2-cents I probably would’ve cancelled mine a while ago. I don’t have children, but I do have a little sister. So, most of what I put in goes to her, should something happen to me. I think it’s a shame how death is an awkward subject, and I admit catching myself feeling some kinda way at times. I remind myself just a quickly, though, that death defines my life, and plays a natural role. It’s an okay thing to think about and question.
Hi Dawn
Yes death is certainly not always an easy subject is it? It is almost like marriage when you sign a prenup… well except for the fact that divorce is not a certainty but death is.
It is great that you have life insurance set up for your little sister.
Hey Lynne.
Thank you for your post. Life insurance is something that I have been considering for some time now and your post has just added to me feeling it needs to happen now, instead of later.
I may have missed this, but is there a certain time period that you need to be signed up with life insurance before you are covered?
Also wondering if the payout, should something happen to me, could be delayed until my daughter is say 21 years old? Or is it just a lump sum?
Sorry for all the questions, but if I don’t ask, I will never know 😉
Many thanks.
– Marc
Hi Marc,
Honestly I don’t know. I am sure that if you are signed up and you have made your first payment that you are covered. I mean nobody intends to die right? I am sure they will have questions that cover them in case you say for example find out you are terminally ill and quickly want to cover yourself for your imminent death a few months away…
Very good question about whether the life insurance payout is in one lump sum and when and how it gets paid out. I honestly don’t know! I suggest you check with Different Life! I checked out their Live Chat and their call back service, they were very fast and helpful.
Hi Lynne, I agree with you wholeheartedly. It’s vitally important to have life insurance once you have dependants. I’ve always had life insurance to ensure I leave money for my parents and spouse as well.
Am very happy with my current policy. I’m insured with Brightrock and what I love about their policy is that its completely adaptable according to your needs. You can review your policy whenever you like and increase or reduce the amount of disability, dread disease cover, income protection etc.
I tried out your Different Life Insurance Cost calculator and was interested to see that, as a dependant myself right now (I gave up work to raise my son), I qualify for very little life insurance. Not the right time to consider a move.
Hi Lauren
It is great that you are covered for life insurance already. I have not heard of Brighrock Insurance before, thanks for sharing your experience with them. So if you are unemployed and insure with them you get a good payout? That sounds fair since as a stay at home mom you are in my opinion vitally important! I’m sure all the other moms will agree too!
Agree thank you for the post
Life insurance id very important because life is unptedictable so we have to be covered at all times
This was so good now i havent seen the saying wo loved this “I just love that saying that does the rounds on Facebook. If Bob the Builder didn’t make it and Barbie didn’t sing it then I just don’t know what you are talking about. This is just so true” we have came so far to get funarl cover and incase of daddy dying mom and son is looked after but its so important that we busy consulting with brokers and shopping around for life cover.