What does typical life insurance cover?

For a typical term life policy, the death benefit fully covers the policyholder for any cause of death, including by disease, accident, injury and natural causes.

If you have an ongoing medical condition or enjoy dangerous hobbies, such as extreme sports like skydiving, you’ll want to make sure your policy specifically covers those situations, but generally, a life insurance policy will pay benefits for any form of death.

What does life insurance cost?

A common misconception is that life insurance is more expensive than a law degree. This is a major turnoff for recent graduates and young professionals who may not have the money saved up for large investments.

Luckily, as a young person, you can actually find term life insurance coverage at decent rates. Here are examples for $500,000 worth of coverage for a healthy 25- to 35-year-old male (women’s rates will typically be lower):

• 25-year-old: 25-year term = $26/month; 30-year term = $30/month
• 30-year-old: 25-year term = $28/month; 30-year term = $32/month
• 35-year-old: 25-year term = $34/month; 30-year term = $37/month

These policies provide a lot of coverage for less than most monthly Internet bills. If you don’t need as much coverage for your beneficiaries, the cost will be even lower. It’s also important to realize that your rate will be locked in whenever you buy the policy, even if you become sick in the middle of the term. This makes it even more beneficial to choose a policy while you’re young and healthy.

If I have employer coverage, am I good to go?

Your new job might come with some sweet benefits, but don’t let the glitz and glamour blind you to the fine print. Many employers offer group life insurance policies that you can join for free or for a small fee. It’s easy to stop and think “Well, that’s something I never have to think about again,” but beware!

Employer-based group policies usually don’t provide anywhere close to the coverage that an individual policy will, and they’re more likely to have clauses that stop or limit benefits from being paid. That’s not to say they’re a bad thing; they’re great as a supplemental policy for extra coverage, but it’s usually not wise to rely on group policies for your main form of life insurance.

How should freelancers handle life insurance?

As a freelancer, you’re less likely to buy life insurance, especially if you’re just starting out, because you’re avoiding any additional costs. But ignoring important cushions like health or life insurance is a great way to forget about them entirely until it’s too late. Term policies are a lot cheaper than you might think, and you’ll be able to find a company and policy that works for you. For more on life insurance as a freelancer, check out this post on Budget Blonde.

Ultimately, you need to decide for yourself whether life insurance is right for you. Taking the time to consider your options now will help protect those you love in the future.

Foods that Will Boost Your Mood

1. Raw chocolate

When you’re feeling down, believe it or not, eating raw chocolate has the ability to make you feel better, says Samantha Peris, a holistic nutritionist and owner of Nu Roots Nutrition in Canmore, Alta. Raw cacao is high in phenylethylamine (the love chemical) and anandamide (the bliss chemical) as well as theobromine, which give you a pick-me-up without any negative side effects—like what you would experience from coffee.

Peris recommends mixing raw cacao nibs with trail mix or in breakfasts, using the powder form for smoothies, breakfasts and desserts, or trying a raw chocolate bar.

New to raw chocolate? Your local health-food store will be able to help you out.

2. Fruits and vegetables

Ok, this is a no-brainer. We all know fruits and veggies are good for us. But who wants a piece of fruit when you hit that 3-o’clock wall? Well, with a little creativity and planning, you can make it work. Try baking kale into chips or yams into fries, dip carrot sticks into hummus or tahini and incorporate all your fruits for the day into a delicious shake.

Fruits and vegetables are high in phytochemicals, which improve the health of our brain cells. “If you reduce the inflammation in your body, you feel better,” says Kleiner. “Everything functions more clearly.”

When it comes to fruit, Kleiner says we should be eating fruits that are high in vitamin C every day, like citrus, berries or kiwis. She also recommends at least one deep orange or red vegetable from the carotinoid family per day, such as carrots and yams; one from the brassica family, like broccoli or cabbage; and one from the allium family, such as garlic, onions or leeks.

3. Fish

Research has shown that depressed people often lack DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid). Peris points to a 2002 study featured in the Archives of General Psychiatry where participants took just a gram of fish oil each day and noticed a 50 percent decrease in symptoms such as anxiety, sleep disorders, unexplained feelings of sadness, suicidal thoughts and decreased sex drive.

“DHA is a very potent anti-inflammatory fat,” adds Kleiner. “It shuts down inflammation in the brain and shuts down inflammation that is about to occur.”

You should eat about 600 to 1,000 milligrams of DHA and EPA per day. Incorporate oily fishes, like salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel, into your diet. You can also find lower doses of these two marine oils in fortified eggs and milk.

4. Milk

“Milk is one of my favourite feel-great foods,” says Kleiner. Milk contains proteins high in tryptophan, which is a building block in the bloodstream for serotonin in the brain. It’s a source of carbohydrates and vitamin D (low levels have been associated with depression), which is required for the production of serotonin. Milk is also a source of calcium, which has been shown to reduce anxiety.

5. Brazil nuts

Brazil nuts are high in selenium. In fact, they have 2,500 times more than any other nut. Selenium, a powerful antioxidant, has been proven to boost mood and mental performance. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating just one Brazil nut a day provides you with more selenium than your body needs.

Do away with these mood-busting foods

Overall, we should be eating primarily whole foods that come from the earth and haven’t been processed or refined, says Peris. Here’s what you should be avoiding:

• Alcohol in small amounts is a feel-good food, says Kleiner. But not surprisingly, too much can bring you down as it is a central nervous system depressant.
• Fried foods, fatty meats and fatty snack foods make you feel full and sluggish, explains Kleiner. In the short term, they put the body into a stress response that causes protein breakdown, which ultimately leads to lower levels of serotonin in the brain.
• Refined sugars and starches are also feel-bad foods.
• Caffeine is a stimulant, but in large doses it has a rebound effect.