However, there are additional benefits that come with life insurance policies besides a lump sum payment. A few different kinds of life insurance policies can also be used to supplement your retirement income and cover funeral costs. If you’ve already made the decision to buy life insurance, you might be wondering which kind of policy is best for you. You might want to start by learning about term and permanent life policies, how to purchase life insurance, and how much it will cost before making the important decisions related to life insurance.
Contents
Describe life insurance.
A contract between you and your insurance company governs your life insurance. In exchange for a lump sum of money for your loved ones in the event of your passing, also known as a death benefit, you will pay a monthly or annual premium. They might use that money to pay for things like unpaid medical bills, funeral costs, and lost wages.
Whole life insurance, term life insurance, and convertible life insurance are the three primary types of life insurance.
Other types of life insurance include final expense insurance, indexed life insurance, universal life insurance, and variable universal life insurance.
Whole life insurance: What is it?
Up until the policyholder’s demise, whole life insurance policies are in effect. To put it another way, they remain in effect as long as the policyholder is alive and continues to pay the premium.
Both the death benefits and premium rates for whole life insurance are typically fixed, never changing. Additionally, the majority of whole life insurance policies include a cash value account that, once it has amassed sufficient funds, enables you to borrow money against the policy, pay premiums, or both. Term life insurance premiums are frequently much lower than whole life insurance premiums.
If someone purchases a whole life insurance policy for a $4,000 yearly premium, they will continue to pay that amount for the rest of their lives. While some life insurance policies have exclusions for things like suicide or lying on the application, in general your premium payments will ensure that your beneficiaries get a death benefit after your passing.
Term life insurance: What is it?
Term life insurance contracts expire after a predetermined amount of time, typically between 10 and 30 years. Some term policies have a fixed death benefit, while others have a death benefit that changes as the policy ages. Term life insurance premiums are typically fixed, but not always. Before committing to a policy, you should probably talk to your insurance agent about this.
If someone pays a $1,000 yearly premium for a 20-year term life insurance policy, they will continue to do so for the entire 20-year term. Only if the policyholder passes away prior to the expiration of the 20-year term will death benefits be paid.
Before coverage is started under a term life insurance policy, applicants typically have to pass a medical examination. A term life insurance policy typically does not include a cash value account, in contrast to a permanent life insurance policy.
Convertible life insurance: What is it?
If you have a convertible life insurance policy, you most likely purchased a conversion rider that enables you to switch from a term life insurance policy to a whole life policy when the term expires. Ask because not all insurance providers will provide this option.
If a person purchases a 20-year convertible life insurance policy, they will pay the annual premium for the 20-year term with the choice to convert to a whole life policy at the policy’s expiration. A policyholder will typically pay more for a convertible policy than a term policy in premiums.
What is the process of life insurance?
It might be useful to become familiar with some basic life insurance jargon to comprehend how it functions:
- The person who purchases an insurance policy on another, referred to as the insured, is the policyholder. The insured and policyholder are typically the same person, but it is possible for it to be someone else, like a spouse or child. The policy belongs to you as the policyholder, and you can change its terms by adding riders, changing your beneficiaries, etc. Additionally, you are in charge of paying the yearly premiums.
- Death benefit: The sum of money given to heirs when an insured person passes away is known as the death benefit. The coverage limit you choose when you buy a life insurance policy determines how much will be paid out as the death benefit. The majority of life insurance policies allow you to select between a maximum and minimum death benefit. Your policy will cost more the higher your death benefit is.
- Beneficiaries: The people you have chosen to receive death benefits upon your passing are referred to as beneficiaries. You have the option to name a primary beneficiary and a secondary beneficiary, as well as one or more beneficiaries. Depending on the kind of policy you have, you can also name a business, charity, or even a funeral home as the beneficiary, although most people choose their spouse or significant other.
- The premium is the sum of money you will pay to the insurance provider in exchange for life insurance coverage. There are some life insurance policies with a fixed premium that does not change over the course of the policy and others with a fixed premium. To keep your policy in effect and prevent the insurance company from cancelling your coverage, you must continue to pay your premium.
- Cash value: A portion of permanent life insurance policies’ cash values increases over time. It is comparable to a savings or investment account. A portion of the premium payment is placed in the cash value account. At a certain point, you can either use the money to pay your premium or take out a loan against the cash value.
- Riders: You can add on additional coverage through the purchase of riders. The long-term care rider, child rider, accelerated death benefits rider, and critical illness rider are some of the more popular riders offered by different life insurance companies.
Who ought to purchase life insurance?
People who want to ensure that their loved ones will have financial security after they pass away may want to think about getting life insurance. How old you are, how much money you have, or how many heirs you have are irrelevant. The following are some scenarios in which you might want to think about purchasing a life insurance policy:
Those who have young children
If you have kids, having a life insurance policy can help your family financially in the event that you pass away suddenly. You may use the funds however you see fit, including to cover the cost of child care or the child’s education. A term life insurance policy could be specifically tailored to expire once they achieve independence in this situation, making it a good choice to take into account.
young adults seeking affordable insurance
Young, healthy individuals pay the lowest life insurance premiums. Younger policy purchases can help you lock in a lower rate for the foreseeable future. A term life insurance policy with the option to convert to permanent coverage might be a good choice to take into consideration for young adults.
adults who owe a lot of money
Having life insurance could prevent your loved ones from taking on your debt if you are an adult with numerous debts, whether they come from a mortgage, loan, or credit card.
Seniors who desire to cover their funeral costs
Seniors find it more challenging to purchase life insurance as they age, especially if they have health issues. But purchasing final expense coverage might be advantageous for senior citizens who want to cover their own funeral costs. It enables you to plan your own funeral and lessens the financial burden you place on your family should you pass away.
What level of life insurance do I require?
Everybody has different needs for life insurance. You might want to consider your situation when deciding how much coverage to get when buying life insurance. Although many experts advise basing your life insurance coverage on your income, there are other considerations you might want to take into account. When choosing how much life insurance to buy, it may be helpful to take the following factors into account:
- Your income: If you’re the family’s primary provider of income, your life insurance coverage may be determined in part by your income. If you earn $100,000 a year, for instance, you’ll probably need more coverage than if you earn $40,000 a year. This is so because your family’s lifestyle is determined by your income. You would want them to maintain their current standard of living in the absence of your income without having to sell your house or relocate to a location that is significantly less expensive.
- Your owes: If you have unpaid debts when you pass away, the balance may not be automatically forgiven. It might occasionally be passed down to your family. In light of this, you might want to make sure that you have enough life insurance coverage to pay off all of your debts, including your mortgage, business loan, credit cards, and other debts like your medical expenses.
- The price of educating your kids is: If you have kids, the price of their future education should be taken into account when choosing your life insurance policy. You might want to get enough life insurance coverage to cover the remaining tuition if your children are currently enrolled in private school. The same holds true if you want to contribute to your children’s college costs rather than solely relying on loans for their education.
- Plans for your funeral: When it comes to final expenses and burial, some people have preferences. Consider this when purchasing life insurance, for instance, if you know you want a lavish funeral or if you plan to move into an assisted living facility as you age. If not, your final expenses will depend on what your family can pay for; knowing that these expenses are covered can help you feel more secure as you age.
- Consider using an online life insurance coverage calculator if you are unsure of how much coverage you require. The calculator will estimate how much coverage may be appropriate for your situation after you enter some basic data, including your income, anticipated burial costs, and the number of children you have.
What is the price of life insurance?
Your age, general health, and pre-existing medical conditions are just a few of the variables that affect the price of life insurance. The kind of policy you choose will affect the cost as well. The following information on life insurance costs:
- Term life insurance will probably cost less than whole life insurance.
- The cost of your life insurance will decrease as you get younger.
- Your life insurance will be less expensive the better your general health is.
- The more health issues you have, the more affordable your life insurance will be.
I want to purchase life insurance.
To start, we advise requesting life insurance quotes from insurance companies to learn the cost of the coverage you want. Although the cost of life insurance is typically determined by your age and level of health, prices for similar coverages and policy types shouldn’t vary significantly between providers.
You will finish the application process for that company once you have compared quotes and decided which one you want. For your convenience, a lot of the biggest life insurance companies provide an online or phone application process. You might be required to submit to a medical examination to determine your general health as part of the application process or finish a health questionnaire.
After your application has been accepted and a premium has been agreed upon, you will sign the policy, pay the premium, and your coverage will begin. Keep in mind that it usually takes at least a few weeks from the time you apply for life insurance until your coverage begins.
