<prompt> Human: My parents generously gave my brother money to fund his Roth and they try to be fair so they offered me the same amount. Nothing formal, but I believe they intend to do this every year for the forseeable future. Since Ive funded my Roth for the year I would use it to buy more international stock in my taxable account. They gave me an alternative of taking out a life insurance policy on my mom, who is 63 and very healthy, with me as beneficiary. My immediate reaction was to just take the cash but I want to be able to make an informed decision as I dont know much about insurance.Is there any math that would make insurance a more sensible option? What type?  <response>: Take the cash. The problem with a life insurance policy on Mom is that you only see a benefit if she passes away. So youre either thinking its money down the tubes, or if she does happen to pass you feel guilty about the money.Its typically best to separate finance from emotion, but in this case Id say keep in mind the emotional impact youd have if she did pass away. Better to not overly complicate that by making a specific decision now to profit in the event of her death.Plus even from a financial standpoint, a 5500 account to supplement your Roth serves you much better as you head towards retirement. 