Did you know that 41 percent of all life insurance purchases are event-related? For many of us, life insurance never crosses our minds until we marry, or buy a house or start our own business. While the trigger events are varied, the need — life insurance — is the same.

Here are five events that commonly increase a person’s need for insurance. Know someone who has experienced one (or more) of these lately? Chances are he or she needs some life insurance.

1. Tying the knot.
When you get married, you share each other’s financial obligations. Would a surviving spouse have enough money to cover your funeral costs and debts?

2. Starting a family.
If something happens to you, where will the money come from to provide the upbringing you would like your child to have? How would they pay for college?

3. Buying a home.
Could a surviving spouse manage mortgage payments, utilities and maintenance costs without your help?

4. Starting a business.
Life insurance is a key to allowing a business to survive the death of an owner.

5. Supporting aging parents.
Many members of the “sandwich generation” are now supporting their parents as well as their children. Life insurance can ensure your parents would continue to be cared for in your absence