MARQUETTE -- September is National Life Insurance Awareness Month, reminding us that when tragedy strikes, it doesn't discriminate.

It seemed like it happened overnight.  Marquette attorney Susan Wideman's husband, Karl, lost his battle with bone cancer, leaving his once happy family in shock.

"We were young, active, healthy people.  We certainly didn't foresee that, you know, that I would be a widow in my early 50s," said Wideman.

Susan was blindsided, but her bases were covered, thanks to her husband's life insurance policy.

"It was enough to cover the things that really could have dragged me down," she said.  "Instead I was able to eliminate those kinds of debts and expenses and now go forward."

But your story doesn't have to sound like Susan's to start thinking about life insurance.  In fact experts say that any time is appropriate for any person to start thinking about their options, and they also say the younger you are, the better.

"Your cost is going to be driven by your age and also your health, so the younger you are is definitely going to drive down the cost of life insurance," said Heather Mosher with VAST Insurance Agency.

Life insurance comes in two main forms:  whole and term.  Whole protects an individual for their entire life and term for a period of time, usually 10-30 years.  For those just thinking about life insurance, term is the more economical route and can cost you between $20-$100 a month depending on your age and condition.

Whole also carries an investment opportunity which you can recoup in your later years, making it more costly, unless, of course, you start planning young.

"Often you'll see small children with some type of a whole life insurance product which is very affordable at that age and then carries through the entirety of their life," Mosher said.

For more information on your options, visit the Life Happens website.