Speak with an experienced advisor! Roofers are often concerned about their roofer life insurance eligibility. Life insurance for roofers is especially important because roofers work in a hazardous environment.
We are all thankful to have a roof over our head (literally) that provides us safety, security, and protection from the physical elements. Whether it be protection from extreme heat, extreme cold, wind, rain, or other natural elements, a roof over our head is something that we often take for granted.
What we also often take for granted are the roofers who install and replace our roofs. Roofing is a dangerous environment that can easily lead to injury, disability, or death.
Why is roofer life insurance important?
Roofers rarely work at ground level. Most of their work is done one, two, three or more stories higher off the ground. One slip can result in death or serious injury.
Roofers also work out in the open, exposed to the elements. Long-term exposure to the sun can have adverse health consequences (skin cancer risk), and the physical demands of the job can lead to physical challenges later in life.
Life insurance for roofers is a critical financial planning tool used to protect the families and loved ones of our nation’s roofers. Roofers are often contractors that work from project to project for different employers. Because of this, most roofers don’t have access to employer-provided life insurance.
Roofers who work for a specific company may have employer-provided life insurance. The amount of coverage, however, is rarely adequate to support your family and loved ones for an extended period.
If a roofer does have life insurance provided for them by work; it is generally for an amount that equals one year of their salary.
If a roofer earns $50,000 a year, their family would only get an income replacement amount of $50,000 when their loved one dies while roofing.
Although $50,000 sounds like a lot of money, it goes quickly once you have to pay for medical bills, mortgage debt, final expenses and burial expenses. Having to provide replacement income for the surviving family members also further depletes this amount.
I’m a roofer, and I already have life insurance through work?
Life insurance for roofers through work is a welcome workplace job benefit. Your employer owns this life insurance (they pay the premium), and you get the benefit of life insurance coverage as long as you work for this employer.
If you change jobs or transition to another line of work, your life insurance benefit goes away.
Just as you will be unable to take your health and medical benefits with you to a new employer, you will be unable to take your employer-provided life insurance with you to a new job.
If I have life insurance with my current employer, and I will have it through my next employer, why do I need to purchase life insurance?
Because your employer-provided life insurance benefit is owned and controlled by your employer, they can choose to increase, decrease, or eliminate your life insurance coverage in the future. You need life insurance will never go away. Your employer’s willingness to pay for your life insurance may go away under a myriad of circumstances.
Many roofers are injured or unable to work due to an illness. When you leave your place of employment due to injury, illness, disability, or disease, you may be unable to qualify for life insurance coverage in the future.
Owning life insurance that you pay for and control is a crucial financial safety net for roofers and other construction workers.
My life insurance through work is cheap or free…
This can be a good situation or a bad situation. It’s good that you have access to free or cheap life insurance for roofers at work. It helps save money for your family budget and provides you with life insurance protection while you work for your current employer.
It’s bad because it provides a false sense of security that this life insurance will be a benefit for years to come. Most people switch employers every 5 to 7 years, and their benefits package will change dramatically each time they change employers. The turnover rate in the construction industry is considerably higher than other professions.
If you do decide that you want to purchase roofer life insurance at a later time, you may do so, but it will be more expensive the older you get. It is wise to choose to purchase a “base level” of life insurance that you own while having the rest of your life insurance coverage provided by your employer.
How much roofer life insurance am I eligible for at work?
This depends on your employer’s benefits package. Most roofers are offered one year’s worth of income as a life insurance policy. Some roofers can purchase additional life insurance through work for 1 to 3 times their base salary.
If you make $40,000 a year as a roofer and purchase an additional three times your annual income in employer-provided life insurance, you would have access to $120,000 in life insurance protection.
While $120,000 sounds like a lot of money, it only provides your family with three years’ worth of income replacement when you die. When you die, there will be other expenses that will pop up that will make this $120,000 disappear faster than you had imagined.
Additional costs such as medical expenses, burial expenses, children’s education, college loan repayment, mortgage payoff, etc. may make your $120,000 in life insurance coverage quickly disappear.
If you only have 1 times your annual salary in employer-provided life insurance, you can see how quickly your $40,000 in employer-provided life insurance goes away thereby placing your family and loved ones at great financial risk.
Providing for your family and making sure that they are taken care of after your death is one of the most loving things a roofer can do for their family.
Roofers selflessly give themselves to provide for their families, and we’re grateful for that. Do, however, make sure that your family is taken care of when the worst happens.
When should I buy life insurance if I’m a roofer?
The best time to purchase life insurance is right now. As you grow older, the cost of life insurance will increase as you age.
The best time to purchase life insurance is before you need it. The best time to purchase life insurance is before you become diagnosed with an illness. The best time to purchase life insurance is when you are younger, rather than older.
What type of life insurance should I purchase?
If you want life insurance as a roofer to cover you only during their working years, a term policy would be an ideal choice. If you want life insurance coverage to protect you for your entire life, a permanent insurance policy such as a whole life or universal life insurance policy would be appropriate.
Term life insurance is like auto insurance. You pay a monthly premium, and when you die the life insurance company will pay your family a death benefit. If you stop paying your life insurance premium, life insurance coverage ends. At the end of the term for your life insurance (often 15, 20, or 30 years) you will not get your money back.
Permanent life insurance such as whole life or universal life insurance builds up cash value which you can access while you are still living.
Term insurance costs less than whole life or universal life insurance.
There are “hybrid” life insurance policies that include a base level of whole life or universal life insurance, and an additional “rider” of term life insurance. These policies are great options for those wanting a higher amount of coverage in their working years, and permanent life insurance protection with access to cash value later in life.
Which life insurance is right for me?
It depends on your financial needs, your tolerance for risk, and your budget. We can help you understand your life insurance options as a roofer in order to help you determine the correct short and long-term life insurance plan for you and your family.
How do I get started?
Your first step will be to determine how much life insurance coverage you need. We are experts in this area and can help you to assess your life insurance needs over the phone.
Your second step will be to determine what will fit into your budget. Once we understand the coverage amount you’re comfortable with, we can approach our 40+ life insurance companies for quotes.
What are your life insurance payment options?
You can pay monthly, quarterly, or yearly with term life insurance policies. With whole life and universal life policies, you have other payment options (lump sum, etc.)
Conclusion
If you are a roofer, call us to help you understand your roofer life insurance approval options.
At Life Wealth Win, we specialize in healthy to high-risk life insurance cases. We can help you understand your roofer life insurance options.
We work with clients across the nation to get the best life insurance rates possible. If you are a roofer, we can help you get the best life insurance rates.
