How to make the right term life insurance choices
If you've spent any time at all watching television recently, you've probably seen commercials
Hot Topics
- What is the difference between a Life Insurance Broker and a Life Insurance Company?
- A Life Insurance Company is the organisation that actually writes your policy and covers the policy risk. It is also their name that appears on your policy documents and it is their duty to make any payouts if you make a claim.
- What is the difference between a Guaranteed and Reviewable life insurance policy?
- With a “Guaranteed” policy the Life Company guarantees that it will never increase the premium.....
- What is Critical illness Insurance?
- Critical Illness Insurance pays an lump sum if you are diagnosed with a serious illness or critical illness.
- Does a UK Life Insurance policy work abroad?
- Life Insurance contracts offered by UK Life Companies are legally constructed to apply to people living in the UK and can be sold only to a UK resident at the time the policy is sold.
advertising low-cost life insurance with guaranteed coverage that anyone can afford. And, if you're like many people, those commercials do get you thinking about the fact that you don't have life insurance yet, but you continue to procrastinate. (After all, you're going to live forever, right?) Or, maybe you think you can't afford the premiums or that you won't qualify for the rates advertised because of a medical condition, so you put off checking into your options.
The truth of the matter is that you DO need life insurance, and there really is affordable coverage out there to meet your needs. There are two main types of life insurance, whole life and term life. The less expensive of the two is term life insurance.
What is Term Life Insurance?
When you buy term life insurance, you're purchasing a policy that will provide protection for a certain period of time. A 'death benefit' is paid only if the person insured dies during the term of the coverage. Most insurance companies have set coverage period lengths you can choose from. These coverage periods could be as little as one year at a time, but most often are offered in five or ten-year increments.
As the policyholder, you get to decide who will receive the benefit payment in the event of your death. You should know, though, that some states and insurance companies have requirements concerning who can or must be designated as the beneficiary. For example, certain ( personal loans ) states require that your spouse be the beneficiary if you're married, and some insurance companies will not allow you to name your pet as the beneficiary (too bad for Fluffy, you won't be setting her up with a golden doghouse and steaks for life!). However, within limits, you can leave the benefit to anyone you like or to your estate to be divided up according to your will.
The biggest downfall of term life insurance is that you have to die before your family gets anything out of it, because the benefit is only payable when the policyholder dies. The policy itself has no cash value, and you can't borrow against it like you can with whole life policies. Another negative aspect of term life insurance is that it ( cheap loans ) becomes more expensive as you get older. And, speaking of age, you don't have the right to continue the policy regardless of your age the way you can with whole life.
You might be familiar with term life as a benefit that employers offer to their employees, but that doesn't mean you can't purchase an individual policy for yourself. On the contrary, many insurance companies offer individual term life coverage. The only trick is to determine what type of term life insurance is best for you.
What Kinds of Term Life Insurance are Available?
There are three different kinds of term life insurance. Each of them has unique aspects that make them the best choice for certain situations. The three types of term life are:
Depreciating Term Life: Depreciating term is used as a means to cover a mortgage loan in the event that someone dies prematurely. The amount of the benefit goes down, or depreciates, as the amount owed on the mortgage is paid off (a slow and painful process...). This is an excellent option if you're concerned about your spouse's ability to pay the mortgage payment after your death. The popularity of these plans has waned because level term life policies are generally cheaper.