Congratulations on your new position or your big raise. You may not realize it, but when your income rises, your spending tends to rise too. If something were to happen to you, you'd probably want your family to be able to maintain their new and improved lifestyle. That's why it makes a lot of sense to re-assess your life insurance coverage whenever your income rises.

If you determine that you need additional coverage, the first thing you'll want to do is find out if your life insurance benefit through work (assuming, of course, that you have such a benefit) has increased along with your compensation. Many group plans will tie life insurance benefits to your annual income. So if you get a $5,000 raise and your company's life insurance plan will pay two times your income if you die, then your death benefit will increase by $10,000.  Make certain that this increase is automatic however, do not assume it is.

If you feel that's not enough, many employers will give you the option to increase your coverage, often through a payroll deduction. Determining whether to take advantage of this option usually depends on your age and health status. How so? With most group plans, employees are offered the same premium as others in their general age bracket (e.g., 25-34 year olds), regardless of their health status or actual age. So if you're healthy or near the lower end of your age bracket, this one-size-fits-all premium may be higher than what you would find if you shopped around on your own. On the other hand, if you're an older employee or perhaps suffer from a chronic health condition, increasing your coverage through work might be a great option because you might not be able to find a policy on the open market that's as affordable as what your employer is offering. Take into consideration also that if you leave your employer, you will need to acquire new insurance, which may be costly later in life.