Advisors are usually focused on products that meet an immediate need or a long-term planning objective — which is exactly why final expense insurance often doesn’t come up until a client’s later years, when premiums are far more expensive than they needed to be.
Key takeaways
- Final expense coverage gets meaningfully more expensive the longer a client waits to address it.
- Dying without earmarked funds can force a grieving family into real financial sacrifices just to cover a funeral.
- This isn’t a big-ticket sale individually, but it complements existing coverage and rounds out a client’s plan.
Adding a $15,000-$20,000 child rider to a term policy covers final expenses for both parent and children — without asking a younger client to think about their own mortality before they’re ready to.
Why this coverage gets overlooked
If a client dies without funds earmarked for final expenses, their surviving family and friends can be put in a genuinely difficult position, sometimes forced into lifestyle sacrifices just to cover a proper burial. Losing a loved one is already hard to manage; making sure the funeral costs aren’t an added burden is one of the more meaningful things a policy can do, even if it’s not a large sale on its own.
Why it’s worth raising earlier, not later
These aren’t big-ticket sales individually, but collectively they create a solid supplemental line that complements existing offerings, and they get meaningfully more expensive the longer a client waits to address them. For younger clients who already have kids, final expense coverage may not feel like an immediate need — in that case, adding a child rider for $15,000 to $20,000 to a term policy is an affordable way to provide coverage on both the parent and any children, without asking the client to think about their own final expenses before they’re ready to.
Contact us today if you’d like to learn more about final expense planning and the solutions available in your state or states of operation.
Frequently asked questions
Why should final expense coverage come up earlier rather than later in a client’s life?
Premiums for final expense coverage increase significantly with age, so raising it earlier gets clients a more affordable rate and avoids leaving family members to cover funeral costs unexpectedly.
What’s an alternative for younger clients who don’t see final expense as an immediate need?
A child rider, typically
Why should final expense coverage come up earlier rather than later in a client’s life?
Premiums for final expense coverage increase significantly with age, so raising it earlier gets clients a more affordable rate and avoids leaving family members to cover funeral costs unexpectedly.
What’s an alternative for younger clients who don’t see final expense as an immediate need?
A child rider, typically $15,000 to $20,000, added to a term policy, provides affordable coverage on both the parent and any children without requiring the client to purchase a standalone final expense policy.
5,000 to $20,000, added to a term policy, provides affordable coverage on both the parent and any children without requiring the client to purchase a standalone final expense policy.Reviewed by Tim Fuller on 2026-09-23
Tim Fuller
President, SRS Inc.
Tim leads SRS Inc., a full-service IMO (Independent Marketing Organization) and BGA (Brokerage General Agency) connecting independent financial professionals with life, annuity, disability income, and long-term care solutions from 60+ carrier partners — with the impaired-risk and complex-case expertise to place business other IMOs and BGAs turn away.
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