You’ve finally decided to buy life insurance. You know that you want a little extra money available to help take care of your burial expenses, help your family adjust to the loss of your income, or take care of your children’s education expenses. You may also have other considerations, such as leaving money for your heirs, maintaining a business, or giving to charity. However, even if you know what you want to do with the money, it can still be hard to know what to buy, or how much you should pay.

Providing survivors with sufficient funds, should you suffer a premature death, means planning ahead and taking out some type of life insurance. All insurance money is in a lump amount, and that means it can be used to address a number of things. First and foremost, are the immediate expenses involved with estate settlement and funeral costs. Later, there will be the long-term needs of survivors. One advantage of a life insurance policy is that it allows you to make needed provisions for your dependents and survivors, and some policies offer disability benefits, as well as a retirement annuity.