It is an accepted fact. There are things in life that we have no control over. Death is one. If we envision a suicide, where, when, what and how the end of our lives are things we just do not have prior knowledge of or higher power. The same is true for accidents and illness. We do not know when they hit us. Of these three risks, however, death is more devastating than its effect on the future of our family is permanent.

Does this mean then that we are completely powerless against this eventuality? Not really. While we have no idea when death strikes us, there is something we can do to soften its blow. We can plan. We can ensure that if and when death comes, we are ready.

This essence is the life insurance is all about. This is our positive response to a negative risk. For this response to be effective, however, we must be sure it’s good.

In other words, our life insurance policy can not guarantee the future of our beneficiary to the extent we allow it. We must therefore ensure that we have a purchase that is well suited to our needs. More importantly, we need to understand the provisions of our policy.

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Many discussions have been devoted towards finding fair value of an investment. The goal of all investors is to find undervalued investment and sell when it reaches fair value. Admittedly, this is the hardest part of investing. So what is fair value? The fair value is a point where the price of an investment reflects its earning capacity.

The fair value is relative and depends on other factors beyond the control of investors. Here we will discuss the calculation of fair value within our own border control. In short, the calculation of the fair value of an investment depends on the expected return and risk taken to obtain the statement. High risk needs higher reward. It is very simple.

So, what assets are low risk investments? We can only compare. The first thing that comes to mind is my certificate of deposit (CDs). You are guaranteed a certain return (interest rate), if you can hold in a time certain pre-determined. You never lose your capital at the end of the period.

Low-risk investments is the next Treasury Bond. It is the bond issued by the Government of the United States, which is considered the safest in the world. There are some risks associated with small fluctuations in bond prices. However, if you had the bond until maturity, you are guaranteed certain rate of return. Your rate of return depends to some extent on the price you bought the bond.

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