LifeInsurance

The OSU athletic department's bet on the deaths of 27 aging boosters with big life insurance policies backfired when not one died.

Here's yet another reason to watch what you say and do online: Insurance companies are already surfing social media sites to get the scoop about their customers, and what their data-miners find may soon be compiled into a new way to rate you as a risk: a social networking score.

When most of us buy life insurance, we're thinking about one thing: Making sure our families are taken care of after we're gone. But in this season of giving, you might also want to think about setting up a policy to take care of your favorite charity.

It's bad enough that we fork over gobs of money for all kinds of necessities, such as our mortgage payments, groceries, gas, and electricity. But it's a real shame when we fork over dollars needlessly, buying things we don't need -- like many kinds of insurance.

In financial planning, people usually play offense: It's about finding the right strategy to get to the goal. But it's just as crucial to have a good defense. Cal Brown, a financial planner and author of the new book When Life Strikes: Weathering Financial Storms, shares some of his defensive plays with DailyFinance's Laura Rowley.

There's something about life insurance that just freaks some people out -- we'd prefer not to consider our mortality. But September is life insurance awareness month, and lack of knowledge breeds fuzzy thinking. So we've sorted some facts from fictions and debunked an even dozen myths about life insurance.

Having a plan in case of a major life crisis is important and, according to State Farm's Financial Plan B survey, 81% of us know it. But only 45% of those surveyed said they've actually planned ahead for that crisis. If you have a plan, it may not be a solid as you think. And if you don't, here's how to begin creating one.

For children, excursions with grandmother are an adventure. As time passes, however, the ride into the golden years can get bumpy; if you're financially unprepared, it can take a dramatic turn for the worse, and even drive you and your family into bankruptcy. Here are some steps you can take to prevent that.

Ordinary insurance policies cover the basics -- but what if you want more? The industry will happily take more of your money to give you the added piece of mind that a rider can provide. The question is, when are riders worth it?

Despite some common misconceptions, life insurance isn't just for those of us who are married with children. If you're a single, you can benefit from it, too -- first, because you're probably more connected to people than you may think, and second, because it can be a great investment.