Smart tactics for millennials flocking to buy life insurance

Life insurance applications for Americans have jumped in 2020 as the CO

VID-19 pandemic has made us more aware of our own mortality.

No one has been more interested in their own life insurance gaps than the

under-45 crowd. Application activity has grown almost twice as fast this year for Americans 44 and younger as for those 45-59, according to research through September from MIB Group, a datasharing service for insurance companies.

Younger buyers are often first-time applicants, digging into the details to understand how life insurance works. If you’re looking for a policy, here’s how to ease your way through the application process and get the most out of your new coverage.

Many young Americans are still near the beginning of their financial journeys. Jobs, homes, cities and relationships will likely change over the next decade, which means needs and dependencies may change too.

“The question of who needs life insurance is very personal, but an easy way to know if you need life insurance is to consider if someone would suffer financially if you were to pass away,” Faisa Stafford, president and CEO of industry group Life Happens, said in an email. “If the answer is yes, then you should consider life insurance.”

She recommends focusing on two main issues: replacing your income and repaying your debts if you die. That means thinking ahead to cover your growing financial commitments as your life changes.

For example, a new homeowner can skip mortgage protection insurance, which pays off your loan if you die, and choose a term life policy instead, suggests Roslyn Lash, a financial educator in

North Carolina and author of “The 7 Fruits of Budgeting.” Your mortgage debt will shrink over time, but your life insurance benefit stays the same — so if you die, some of the money could be used for other priorities, such as sending a child to college.

Life insurance applications are notoriously frustrating. You might expect to fill out forms, explain medications and take a life insurance medical exam just to find out if you’re approved.

While this process is still out there, simpler options are now available. “The use of e-signature, no blood or urine tests, and online applications all have made life insurance more accessible to more people,” Stafford said.

In a growing practice called “accelerated underwriting,” many insurers now rely on your prescription drug use, data about you from MIB Group and electronic health records to speed the process, according to the Society of Actuaries.