In life, you can never be too prepared for what might happen.
This cliché is annoyingly true.
Recently, my husband was in a horrific car accident while we were buying a new car. While talking about the details behind the accident is still hard, what I can say, is that we discovered that we were dismally unprepared for what came afterwards.
First off, all of those folks in your life who are telling you that you need to get health insurance aren’t telling you because they like hearing themselves talk. Yes, health insurance is expensive, and if you are still one of those folks who can be on their parents’ insurance until the age of 26, stay on it. If you aren’t, and you aren’t covered by the VA, there are resources out there that can help you find affordable health insurance.
My husband is one of those folks who isn’t covered by his parents’ health insurance, and he’s not covered by the VA. While he was sitting in the hospital bed, I sat in the window seat researching health insurance policies through the exchange.
According to a brochure published by the Kansas Insurance Department, your policy may have bigger co-pays and emergency room expenses if you purchase a plan with a low monthly premium. You will have to assess your current health situation to determine if this will be the best plan for you. The exchange also varies by state, so if you are from Kansas, certain companies won’t offer health insurance because they aren’t permitted to sell it in Kansas.
When you look for health insurance, something to make sure you get is the ability to see mental health professionals. In the aftermath of the accident, one of our struggles as a family is conquering the post-traumatic stress of the event. Some of these symptoms are flashbacks, nightmares, day-mares (where you are daydreaming and relive the accident in vivid detail), irritability, etc.
Since I am covered by the VA, I have easy access to mental health professionals and resources, but my children aren’t covered, and neither is my husband, so I have to apply to get them in to see professionals who can help them learn how to cope with the aftermath of this.
Second, when you are looking at auto insurance, make sure that you get a policy that will cover you when accidents do happen. You should also understand both sides of that policy, meaning that your policy covers the damage done to someone else’s vehicle and the damage done to your vehicle. Say you back into a tree and bust out the back window (I did this last fall when I was driving for Uber.)
When you call the insurance company to make a claim, they’ll send you to a body shop near you that will take care of the damage. How much of a deductible do you think you can afford? If you go for a $500 deductible, you’ll have a higher premium than if you chose a $1,000 deductible.
If you hit someone else, the cost of your premium covers bodily harm and property damage done to the other person’s vehicle. So, if you hit someone who owns a 2017 Mercedes Benz, then you’re probably looking at close to $50,000 worth of damage (hypothetically). If you don’t have insurance, you’ll be paying for that damage out of your own pocket.
As students, we are poor, there’s no doubt about that, because we are basically working two or three full-time jobs between going to school, working part-time to pay the rent and the bills and taking care of ourselves and our families (if you happen to have a significant other, roommates or you still live at home). So, you have to make sure that you have enough money put away for that rainy day.
One way to do that is to visit with financial counselors that are available through the university. You can also look into ways to save with advice through your financial institution.
There are several types of investment options from a normal savings account that has a monthly withdraw limit to accounts that allow you to round off your purchases and deposit the change into your savings accounts.
When I was in the Navy, I was offered the option to invest in the Thrift Savings Plan, which took a portion of my paycheck and deposited it into a government bond that gained interest every year but wasn’t affected by the stock market. Many employers offer a 401K plan that allows employees to deposit a portion of their pay into a retirement plan. The plans vary between businesses, state and federal agencies and the companies they work with.
Seth Tilton, a Kansas State University sophomore in finance in accounting, said college students have a couple of options when they are looking at saving money. The first one is to monitor their spending habits and make use of online banking to keep track of their money. They can also invest in a Roth IRA which allows students to invest as much as $5,000 a year. While they will be taxed upon initial investment, they won't have to pay any taxes when they withdraw that money later on in life.
The important piece of information about retirement plans that people need to know is that they can take the money out whenever they need it. Yes, it will be penalized when it’s withdrawn before you reach retirement age, but when you need the money, you need the money. You need to know that you can always reinvest in another account, or you can deposit more money into your retirement when you have it.
When accidents happen during school, it is possible to get help from school. After the accident happened, and the initial shock wore off, I made it a point to contact my professors and my advisor and the office of student life. Students need to know that when they are in crisis, whether it’s a domestic crisis, a personal crisis, or a larger issue like the recent events on K-State and across the nation, the office of student life has resources that are available to them.
