Do you feel like you’re sinking fast? You keep putting in your time at work but you’re sliding further and further into debt. Sadly, personal debt is a worldwide issue. With the economy in such dire straits it seems almost impossible to live on your weekly paycheck; where it seems like everything is going up, except your wage. It’s tough, and whether it’s to afford a birthday present for your Mum or to get through University – the bills keep adding up until you’re left feeling lost and out of control. And the ever increasing interest rates don’t help. You miss one payment and then two, and then it all piles up into a financial house of cards on the brink of collapse.

Statistics show that financial troubles are one of the leading causes of depression and anxiety. Who hasn’t had sleepless nights worrying that this or that will break and there’s no money to fix it? Not to mention your credit’s maxed to the limit.    

Thankfully there are some debt consolidation agencies out there with solutions that can help. Though it isn’t one-size-fits-all, a respectable agency can work with you and your creditors in order to find the best way for you to resolve your financial troubles. You may well have to end up filing for bankruptcy, but these days there are other solutions such as getting IVA help. IVAs (Individual Voluntary Arrangements) can help take what seems like insurmountable debt and hopefully secure you a lower interest rate and lump it all into one more manageable monthly payment.

You can get out of debt, and quite possibly far more easily than you have ever imagined –so make the choice to become debt-free, you’ll be glad you did.           

You have gathered your personal information and are sitting down to do some calculations. Your annual income is the amount your survivors will need to maintain their standard of living. This total should cover: mortgage or rent, repairs for home maintenance, household items, insurance and taxes and any home improvements that might be needed. Auto insurance, as well as health insurance, clothing, food, utilities, auto maintenance, child care, entertainment and recreation and any other expense that is not listed here.
If you were to die, your dependents would have your spouses salary, investment income, social security benefits but insurance proceeds should not be included here.  If you then deduct the first list from the second, that number will be the amount they will need to have a comfortable life without you.
Now you know how much your survivors will need, now you need to know how much you can afford. Take time to ask your insurer how they calculated their rates so you can get the best coverage for your needs. Rates will for sure vary from insurer to insurer, to shop around, take time to understand all the terms that are used in the descriptions of insurance. Your broker should be able to answer all your questions.

Is there any actions can you take to increase the length of your life expectancy? Actuaries and statisticians have been tracking average life expectancy for decades and it is still impossible to know how long a person  will live.  Life expectancy and those factors that can decrease or increase it remain unknown.
Unfortunately, the most important things that influence our life span are out of our control. Predicting longevity is our genetic make-up and out sex. But there are various other factors that we can effect.
What we eat and if we smoke and how much exercise we get are all things we can do something about. Certain sports like scuba diving and mountain climbing, piloting aircraft and how we drive out cars can be adjusted. Our choice to use drugs and alcohol are also factors that are within out control.

There is a Life Expectancy Calculator that used date to predict the life span of numerous individuals according to their risk profiles. Some factors are fixed, like your race and year of birth, other factors that can be changed are those like health habits.