When Jenny and Dave Denton gave up their life insurance in 2021, they could never have imagined that they would have desperately needed it just three years later.
But instead, when Dave unexpectedly passed away from a brain haemorrhage in June 2024 at 43 years old, his wife Jenny was left responsible for looking after their three children, who were aged 6, 10 and 14 at the time, as well as both of her elderly parents.
“Immediately after Dave died, I became the sole parent and had to pay everything. My bills literally doubled overnight – I went from paying £3,000 a month to £6,000 a month,” Jenny said.
“The kicker is that Dave and I cancelled our life insurance – which cost £200 a month – during Covid because it was quite a big bill and we couldn’t afford it during those tricky years. I would have got a £1m payout, but obviously that didn’t happen.
“I have three children who all need stuff from me financially, be it football boots, sports clubs, and I want to continue trying to live as best I can by taking them on holidays. I’ve also got both of my parents living with me and I have to provide for them.
“Because I run my own business, I had to keep working right after Dave died – I couldn’t take any sick pay and as Dave also ran his own business there were no death in service benefits,” she added.
Jenny has been claiming the Bereavement Support Payment from the Government, which is equivalent to £350 a month, but it only lasts for 18 months. She said it barely scratches the surface of her monthly expenses for looking after five people.
“That amount doesn’t even cover my electricity bill – nevertheless it was a help. But with it being cut to 18 months, that has lapsed for me now – lasting until my kids were 16 would have really helped,” Jenny said.
“On top of the bills, there are just so many other expenses. There’s still maintenance to do on the house – we were about to do renovations [before Dave died], so the house is quite run down now.”
Jenny and Dave also did not have wills when they died, which made everything a lot more difficult.
“I bang on about this now because [having a will] would have made things a lot easier. It took a long time to ascertain whether we needed probate.
“It turned out that I didn’t, but I still had to go through a very long process which you don’t want to do when you’re grieving,” she said.
Jenny, pictured with her three children and husband Dave, is self-employed and is feeling the pressures of the cost of livingShe added that one of the most difficult parts was actually dealing with Dave’s finances and having to speak to companies to get access to his accounts.
“The financial side of things was horrendous. I had to ring up companies to access Dave’s accounts, and they were asking to speak to the account holder, and I had to say ‘you can’t’. It was awful,” she said.
“His pension was tricky too but I got a financial adviser to help with that in the end.
“Dave’s business also had a bounce back loan associated with it from Covid and I started getting letters in the post from Santander threatening to send bailiffs round. It was just really not what I needed at that time.”
What is life insurance and how much does it cost?
Life insurance is a type of financial protection product that pays out money when someone dies. People usually take it out to ensure their loved ones would have some financial support if something happened to them.
For example, the money could be used to help pay the mortgage, cover household bills, support children, or pay for funeral costs.
You pay a monthly premium to an insurance company, and in return, if you die while the policy is in place, the insurer pays out a lump sum to the people you have chosen to leave it to.
Life insurance typically costs around £26.33 per month in 2025, according to figures from insurer Legal & General, but this could be higher or lower depending on your age and health. Being older or in poor health generally pushes up the cost of life insurance.
What to do if you are bereaved and in financial distress
If your spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner dies, you may be able to claim the Bereavement Support Payment. It is £350 a month and is not means-tested, so your income and savings do not affect whether you can get it, but there are eligibility rules.
For example, you usually need to have been under state pension age when your partner died.If bills, debts or mortgage payments become difficult, it is important to contact lenders, utility firms and other providers as soon as possible. Many firms have bereavement teams and may be able to pause payments or change a repayment plan to make it easier to manage.
People on certain benefits may also be able to get help with funeral costs through a Funeral Expenses Payment. It will typically cover essential burial or cremation costs and then up to £1,000 in other expenses.
Hence then, the article about i cancelled our 200 a month life insurance our children have missed out on 1m was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( I cancelled our £200 a month life insurance, our children have missed out on £1m )
Also on site :
- Hot French startup ZML releases free product to speed inference across lots of AI chips
- ‘Elize: Shadows Of A Woman’ Trailer: Netflix Brazil Feature Based On Case Explored In ‘Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon a Crime’
- Netflix’s Mexican Drama ‘I’m Not Afraid’ Is a Gut-Wrenching Mystery and Exhilarating Coming-of-Age Tale: TV Review