We all reach the stage in life when we wonder whether we need life insurance or not. This isn't a great decision for any of us – nobody likes to be reminded of their own mortality, after all! But, it's a decision that comes to us all at some time or other – especially if we have a family to consider.

To be honest it's worth while looking at taking out life insurance at virtually any stage of your life – especially as we reach adulthood and start to amass mortgages and other financial commitments. The fact is that it doesn't really matter if we have a family to care for or not – if we have any kind of current financial commitments then we need to think about what would happen to them if we were to die out of the blue. And, you have to remember that it doesn't matter how healthy you think you are – you could die in a car accident or get run over by a bus tomorrow!

The thing you have to consider here is what would happen to your financial commitments if you were to die unexpectedly. A lot of people don't realise that the money they owe on stuff like loans and mortgages doesn't necessarily pay for itself after their death – somebody will have to take responsibility for its repayment. And, in the simplest of terms you have to think about who would pay for your funeral at the end of the day.

Life insurance may be worth thinking about at this stage – it is essential, however, if you have a family to add to the equation. If you have a partner and/or kids then think about how they would cope financially if you did die and your salary died with you. This isn't just about managing stuff like the mortgage – it's also all about working out how they would pay for life's necessities never mind life's luxuries. If you protect them with a life insurance policy then they could at least cope financially during what would be a very difficult time for them.

The key thing to remember with life insurance is that it doesn't have to cost the earth. Life insurance policies nowadays can be taken out at minimal cost – you really could be paying just a couple of pounds a week to get the right levels of protection. To make things easier most industry experts recommend that you shop around for the best quote as the sector is extremely competitive at the moment. This is easily done – there are loads of web sites out there that can help you sift through competitive quotes so you can find the cheapest policies in just a matter of minutes, for example. This is a great way of getting the life insurance cover you need without spending too much time or money in the process.