Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat, please comment on the value, if any, in buying life insurance to pay capital-gains taxes, for instance, on a cottage. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: My view is that you should only buy insurance to protect yourself against catastrophic, unforeseeable losses. That’s why it’s essential to have fire and liability insurance on your house, plus liability and possibly collision on your car. To stretch a point, you might want to add kidnapping/ransom insurance, depending on your travel plans. For life insurance, I only recommend straight term insurance. This type of life insurance has no investment component. It simply provides a cash payment if you die. The premiums go up on a pre-planned schedule, and you may only be able to maintain coverage to age 65. (Note that if you and your spouse both work to support the family, or even if one works and the other is a full-time homemaker, it’s a good idea to look into joint term insurance policies that pay off if either one of you dies.) Meanwhile, here are some insurance purchases I’ve advised against: * Buying life insurance on the parents’ lives,…