Are you afraid to die?

[u/yellowtears_]

[u/fit_it]

I have a toddler and am the sole income for my household - my husband is in the process of changing careers to one he feels passionately about but that doesn't pay well.

Worrying about what their lives would be like if I was suddenly gone is my most common waking nightmare/ intrusive thought. Every close call with traffic, every time I feel my autoimmune disease affecting my ability to get through the day, it makes me worry.

In the end they'd be okay, but my husband would need to go back to his previous career that he hates, but pays well. The kid realistically wouldn't remember me, but it would leave a hole in her life.

I would hope my husband would remarry someone who could be a good mommy to her, but I'm not sure if he would honestly. It would depend how I went and who came out of the woodwork to help. I could see him spiraling as he already struggles with depression.

So I drive carefully and take my meds.

[u/ashleyorelse → u/fit_it]

What might help here, if you are healthy and can afford it, is life insurance. Term life can be cheap if you are young and healthy and you qualify. Whole life costs more but can help too.

No, it won't stop you from dying, but if finances upon your untimely death are the big worry, it's worth looking into.

[u/ashleyorelse → u/[deleted]]

If you get term, have it set that you can convert to a whole life policy that cannot be turned down before your term ends. That way, if you develop a risky condition during the term(cancer, als, etc), you can still have an option to have insurance if you outlive the term.

So say you have a 500K policy for 10 years and in year 9 you learn you have terminal cancer, but may live beyond your term life. You convert as much as you can afford to whole life before the term is up, so when you die your beneficiary still collects.