Insurance may seem like a waste to some new grads, but it definitely comes in handy when disaster strikes. In this post, I’ll focus on three types: life, car, & health.

1. Life insurance – Personally, I don’t have a life insurance policy since I don’t have a spouse or children and have registered with my local public medical center for a body donation. But those with a family will probably want to leave them some funds for funeral costs, bills, debt reduction, a child’s college fund, etc. If life insurance is not offered by your employer, you can start by checking with your parents as far as finding good agent.

2. Car insurance – Once you are no longer a dependent of or living with your parents, you must secure your own car insurance. The cost of your car insurance will depend on many factors including your gender, where you live, and what you drive. The fewer accidents you claimed on your previous insurance you’ve had will help keep your rate down. Men can usually expect to pay a higher rate.

You may be able to get somewhat of a discount if you use the same insurance company your family does or if you use the same insurance company for as many of your different insurance policies as you can. You should be able to reduce your premium by paying your policy bi-annually or annually vs. monthly. Again, check with family or friends for a recommendation, and shop around for the best rate with an idea of how much you’d like your deductible (the amount you’re responsible for before insurance kicks in) to be.

3. Health Insurance – At age 26, you must secure your own health insurance. Going without insurance is tempting fate, and your yearly tax return will eventually be impacted under the current healthcare law, effectively penalizing you for not carrying health insurance.

It’s always cheaper to take the health insurance offered by your employer than paying for your own independent policy, and www.healthcare.gov insurance is usually not available to those who’s employers offer coverage. So get into your employer’s health and dental plans as soon as you’re eligible.

Depending on the plans offered, you can choose how much coverage you have. Usually the higher your deductible, the more you’ll pay before insurance kicks in (in the way of yearly minimums that must be met), but this can lower your monthly premium (how much your employer deducts from your pay for insurance.)

80/20 is a standard coverage figure you’ll often see meaning 80% of an expense (like an ER visit or surgery) is covered by insurance and 20% by you. Some employers offer Flex Spending Accounts, so look into taking advantage of that as well if you expect frequent doctor or specialist visits and/or needs for prescriptions. A significant savings on prescription drugs is included which is very handy for drugs that have high out of pocket costs (the cost to those with no insurance.)

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