Jason Fleming

Funds for the Future

Life insurance protection is important for every member of your household. In the event the unexpected happens, life insurance can help your loved ones maintain their standard of living. Life insurance can help pay the mortgage, childcare costs and household expenses, for example. It can also provide a way to leave a financial legacy for children and grandchildren and/or a favorite charitable organization.

But how do you determine how much life insurance is enough? Depending on your specific needs and circumstances, experts recommend coverage ranging from around six to 10 times your annual household income. You may have some life insurance as an employee benefit, but that protection may expire when you change jobs or retire, and may not be enough to fully meet your needs.

Several factors should be considered when determining your family's life insurance needs, including immediate obligations and future expenses, such as education costs or retirement funding.

I can assist you in assessing your life insurance needs and offer options that are right for you. If you'd like to do some initial research on your own, go to www.fbfs.com, click on Insurance, then Personal Life Insurance.

Tips brought to you by Jason Fleming, Career Agent with Farm Bureau Financial Services. For more information on auto, home, life, college and retirement funding products and services, call Jason Fleming at 763-780-6867.

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Products offered through Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company* and Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company*/West Des Moines, IA.

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Companies of Farm Bureau Financial Services

Estate Preservation: A Peace of Mind

Considered one of the most important steps a person can take to finalize property and health care wishes, estate preservation is often overlooked in favor of more immediate concerns. An estate preservation strategy distributes your assets, including property and investments, and helps provide a financial future for your family in the event of your death. A strategy can also answer a number of legal questions that arise when dealing with an estate. What kinds of assets do they own? Who gets what? Are there minor children who need a guardian to care for them? An up-to-date strategy can include any of the following:

• A financial statement outlines what liabilities and assets you have to pass on to your heirs.

• An attorney can help you draft a will which determines how your estate is distributed.

• Trusts are helpful when managing property and income.

• In certain events, provisions need to be made to help care for minor children.

• By appointing a general durable power of attorney, this allows your spouse, a family member or a trusted friend to take care of your financial affairs should you become incapacitated.

• A medical power of attorney allows health care decisions to be made if you are unable to do so.

• Living wills make your wishes known when you are terminally ill and if you want life sustaining procedures withheld or withdrawn.

• Be sure to update your beneficiaries if you have experienced any life-changing events such as marriage, divorce, birth of a child, etc.

It's also a good idea to create a written or videotaped inventory of your personal belongings and a document listing your wishes in case of the unexpected. Build these items into a reference book or file and make sure family members or close friends know where the book or file is stored. Having an updated estate strategy can help in a number of ways but most importantly, creating one is the first step toward providing peace of mind for you and your family when the times comes.

Tips brought to you by Jason Fleming, Career Agent with Farm Bureau Financial Services. For more information on auto, home, life, college and retirement funding products and services, call Jason Fleming at 763-780-6867

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Insurance products offered through Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company*/West Des Moines, IA,

Western Agricultural Insurance Company* /West Des Moines, IA*; and Farm Bureau Life Insurance

Company*/West Des Moines, IA.

*Affiliated, and companies of Farm Bureau Financial Services

Is Your Life Complete? The Importance of Life Insurance Protection

When considering the importance of life insurance ask yourself this question: is your life complete? Fortyfour percent of all U.S. households either don't own life insurance and believe they should, or own life insurance and believe they need more. To help you understand the importance of adequate life insurance protection, the following are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

What is life insurance?

A life insurance policy is an agreement between a policy owner and a life insurance company. The policy owner pays a premium (set amount of money) and the company provides a certain level of protection.

Upon the insured person's death, the company will pay a specified amount of money to the persons you identified as beneficiaries.

I've heard life insurance is important but what does it provide?

Life insurance proceeds can fund many types of expenses. Life insurance can help protect your loved ones from experiencing financial hardship as a result of your death. Life insurance benefits can be used to help pay for final expenses (funeral, medical, etc.), estate taxes and settlement costs, income for a spouse, outstanding debts and education funding for children or grandchildren.

I have coverage through my employer. Will this be enough?

Typically employers only offer one to two times your annual pay in life insurance coverage, however many financial experts recommend life insurance coverage equal to seven to 10 times a person's income.

Also, group insurance typically ends when you leave the employer or retire. With an individual policy, you have control over your coverage.

When should I buy life insurance?

Many people purchase life insurance after getting married or starting a family, but there is no set age or time period in which you should purchase life insurance coverage. If your loved ones could become burdened financially in the event of your death, you should consider life insurance protection. Also, any time you experience a life-changing event such as marriage, divorce, new baby, job change, new home or retirement, you should review your life insurance coverage.

How much should I buy?

You should consider several factors when calculating your life insurance needs. Consider what the life insurance proceeds will need to cover - income replacement, outstanding debts, funeral expenses, college savings plans, etc.

What is the difference between term and permanent life insurance?

Term insurance coverage is purchased for a specific period of time and provides death benefits to a named beneficiary if the insured person dies within the specified time. Many people purchase term insurance because the premium is initially lower.

With permanent life insurance, death benefit protection can continue as long as the insured person lives. Permanent coverage builds cash value depending on the policy terms. You can either buy permanent coverage or convert your current term policy. Permanent life insurance may be more expensive initially, but in the long run, is more cost-effective. Plus, the younger you are, the less expensive permanent insurance is.

Life insurance may not seem like an immediate need to address, but it could be the missing piece to completing your financial portfolio.

Sources:

"Facts About Life 2005" LIMRA International

Life Insurance Marketing & Research Association, Trends in Life Insurance Ownership Among

Americans, 1999

Roper Starch Worldwide, Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) Commissioned

Study, 1998

1 "Facts About Life 2005" LIMRA International

2 Roper Starch Worldwide, Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) Commissioned

Study, 1998

Tips brought to you by Jason Fleming, Career Agent with Farm Bureau Financial Services. For more information on auto, home, life, college and retirement funding products and services, call Jason Fleming at 763-780-6867.

# # # # #

Products offered through Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company and Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company West Des Moines, IA.

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Companies of Farm Bureau Financial Services

Life Insurance: How Much is Enough?

Whatever stage of life you're in - whether married or living the single life, own a house or have grandchildren - life insurance coverage is not an option; it's a necessity. Life insurance is simple - and can provide cash to your beneficiaries after your death.

Did you know 81 percent of Americans say they need life insurance, however only 41 percent own an individually purchased policy? Where do you fit in?

Ask yourself if you died today, would your family's lifestyle be in jeopardy without your income and your help around the house? Does a family member depend on you for financial assistance? Do you have excessive debt that would be transferred to family members if you died?

If you answered ‘yes' to any of these questions, then life insurance could be the protection your family needs.

Life insurance can help your family replace your income and continue to build upon the financial strategies in place. The benefits can help pay the mortgage, fund a college education, pay for childcare and the daily living expenses your family incurs. Most importantly, life insurance can help your family maintain a consistent standard of living.

Time to Review:

If you currently own life insurance, it is essential you review your policy at least once a year, especially if you've experienced a life change such as:

1. Marriage or Divorce

2. A New Addition to the Household (baby or parent moving in)

3. Sold or Bought a New Home

4. Received a Promotion or Changed Jobs

5. Retired or Planning to Retire

Source:

Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, www.life-line.org

1 "What You Need to Know About Life Insurance?" Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education

Web site, www.life-line.org, visited April 19, 2005

Tips brought to you by Jason Fleming, Career Agent with Farm Bureau Financial Services. For more information on auto, home, life, college and retirement funding products and services, call Jason Fleming at 763-780-6867.

# # # # #

Products offered through Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company* and Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company*/West Des Moines, IA. * Companies of Farm Bureau Financial Services

Because Life Doesn't Always Makes Sense...Insurance Does.

Evaluating Your Life Insurance Needs

Life insurance isn't most Americans' favorite thing to think about or spend their hard-earned money on. In fact, only 41% of adult Americans have individual life insurance.1 Having an appropriate level of life insurance is really a selfless act-you don't do it for yourself, you do it for your loved ones. Life insurance can help provide financial security for your family.

Many employers provide some life insurance protection for employees, often between one and two times the employee's annual salary. While this is a great benefit, it often doesn't come close to meeting one's life insurance needs. Although many factors must be taken into account in order to determine an adequate estimate of the coverage needed, many financial experts recommend life insurance coverage equal to sevento 10 times a person's annual income.

As you begin planning, think about the financial impact your death will have on your loved ones . You may want to provide funds to help them:

· Pay for your final expenses

· Pay off the family home

· Pay off vehicles, loans or other debts

· Set aside college funds for your children

Take into account that if you are gone, your loved ones will have to make ends meet without your salary on an ongoing basis. It isn't just a one-time impact.

To evaluate your specific needs, review all your personal financial information and estimate what your family will need when you're gone. Include ongoing expenses (such as day care, tuition or retirement) and immediate expenses at the time of your death (like medical bills, burial costs and estate taxes).

Source:

Life Organization, www.life-line.org

1 LIMRA International Fast Facts August 2004

2 Roper Starch World wide, Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) Commissioned

Study, 1998

Tips brought to you by Jason Fleming, Career Agent with Farm Bureau

Financial Services. For more information on auto, home, life, college and retirement funding products

and services, call Jason Fleming at 763-780-6867

# # # # #

Products offered through Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company and Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance

Company*/West Des Moines, IA.

*Companies of Farm Bureau Financial Services