How To Talk To Your Partner About Life Insurance Cover

Discussing life insurance can sometimes seem complex, but it is also vital to long-term family protection.

It’s part of life that we cannot know what’s around the corner, but we can take control over that uncertainty by ensuring we have a financial safety guard just in case.

While every family is different, our advice would be to look at the facts and figures and make informed, practical decisions based on what you, your partner, and the rest of your immediate family might do if one of you were to pass away, become seriously unwell, or be injured and unable to work.

For example, it’s worth noting that 61% of mothers have no life insurance, and that coverage can start from £8 per month.

Putting protection in place takes minimal time, thanks to the streamlined service Insurance Hero is known for. You can sidestep many of the barriers parents and couples face and get the right insurance organised today.

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Insights From The Insurance Hero Team And Conversation Guide

Topic	Our Summarised Answer
The Introduction	You should discuss life insurance with your partner early in the relationship. It shows emotional maturity, long-term thinking, and a commitment to shared responsibilities.
Why It Matters	Life insurance protects your loved ones financially in the event of your unexpected death. It’s not just about money — it’s about security, peace of mind, and shared planning.
Common Concerns	Couples often avoid life insurance talks due to discomfort or lack of knowledge. Addressing it early can reduce stress later on.
Ideal Timing	You should start the conversation when planning a future together, such as buying a house, having kids, or combining finances. Timing it right makes the conversation natural and productive.
How to Start	You can open the topic with a real-life example or question like “What would happen financially if one of us passed away?”. This makes the subject relevant and empathetic.
Tone and Approach	The conversation should be calm, respectful, and open-minded. Avoid being pushy or transactional. Frame it as a joint life plan, not a death plan.
Topics to Cover	You should discuss policy types, coverage amounts, beneficiaries, and premium costs. Include your current financial obligations and goals.
Addressing Emotions	Life insurance can trigger anxiety or fear. Acknowledge emotions and offer reassurance. Use facts, not fear.
Tools and Support	Use online life insurance calculators or consult a financial consultant, such as Insurance Hero, to bring objectivity to the conversation. Shared research builds trust.
Next Steps	You should agree on a plan to research policies and gather quotes. Revisit the topic yearly or during significant life events.

Why Do So Many Couples and Parents Hesitate to Buy Life Insurance Cover?

There are many factors at play, and our friendly, experienced advisers speak with clients every day who have long felt that having a great policy providing life insurance for single mums, for instance, would give them enormous peace of mind.

However, for most, the primary reasons they haven’t yet organised life insurance, regardless of how important they know it is, relate to the following:

• Assumptions that life insurance is too expensive and unaffordable, alongside living costs
• Thinking that their career, lifestyle, or health will exclude them from any affordable life insurance product
• Having little time to invest in research and being unwilling to spend hard-earned money on an insurance product without knowing whether it represents great value

This is where we step in, providing a comprehensive, end-to-end service from collating the most competitive life insurance products for couples to recommending affordable life cover for single parents, with mums’ health cover built in.

We provide all of this based on the information you share with us in confidence.

Advice and Tips on Discussing Life Insurance With a Partner

As we’ve touched on, some people perceive life insurance as a taboo topic and avoid talking about it–but, as we all appreciate, ignoring an issue or putting off the conversation indefinitely isn’t ever going to put your mind at ease.

The first step may be to reflect on your current financial position and obligations, which can help you understand how the loss of one partner’s income might impact you, your children, or other dependents.

Practical Considerations When Making Key Decisions About Life Insurance

If you’re unsure whether you need couples’ life insurance or the value of the coverage you need, we’d suggest working through these questions:

• Who is financially dependent on you? Do you currently have children, or are you hoping or planning to grow your family in the future?
• Do you own or rent your home, are you saving for a deposit, or do you have a mortgage? If so, what is the balance?
• Do you need to manage other debts, such as personal loans and car financing, credit cards, or student loans?
• How reliant are you on your joint incomes, and what would happen if you were to lose a proportion of those earnings? Do you have savings, investments, or other assets that would sustain your current lifestyle, or would you face significant financial hardships?

Insurance needn’t be an emotive discussion. It’s about being sensible, assessing how you’d manage if one partner were to pass away, and putting protection in place to safeguard your home, children, health, and wellbeing should the worst happen.

Assessing the Costs and Types of Life Insurance Best for Couples

With luck, you may never need to claim against your life insurance, but knowing it’s there can make a huge difference in times of grief and distress, without any potential that one partner will be left in crisis or at risk of losing their home.

We’re here to make the process easier. We have a simple form that asks about the amount of life insurance you’d like and your contact details.

From there, we’ll provide your personalised suggestions and ensure that, when you sit down to discuss life coverage, you’ll have all the information you need about costs, terms, and options to make your decision-making easier.

Helpful external resources:

• https://www.abi.org.uk/products-and-issues/choosing-the-right-insurance/life-cover
• https://www.aviva.co.uk/insurance/life-products/life-insurance/knowledge-centre/types-of-life-insurance