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Monday, October 6, 2008

Types of Life Insurance Policies by Stephen Sikes

Want to get the most for your money when buying a life insurance policy, then you need to know the basics of what the different types of life insurance policies mean and do.
Term Life Insurance
Just by thinking about the name of this type of insurance you may have a pretty good idea of what it means. Term life insurance is literally an insurance policy that lasts for a particular set term of time. From 10, 20, 30 years or more, these policies are in effect offering a specific dollar amount of coverage for those who are insured, if they were to die during the term that has been specified.
For the most part, term insurance costs substantially less than other options. There is a simple reason for this. You will not necessarily die within the term of the insurance policy. Therefore, the insurance company is taking a gamble that you will live until the term is out and that you will have paid your premiums while not dying, so they don’t have to make a payout and get to keep all the money you put in.
If you do have a term life insurance policy, and it runs out, most insurance companies will offer you the chance to renew it, but it will be at a cost. You will pay more each time you renew, since the company will be taking a bigger gamble, as the odds you will die go up the older you are.
Whole Life Insurance
At the other end of the spectrum is whole life insurance. This is a policy that you purchase one time and it will follow you for the rest of your life. Once you sign up for a whole life insurance policy, you will be covered from that day until the day you die with no rate hikes or renewals necessary.
However, it will cost more. Since it is a given that you are eventually going to die, and therefore the policy will be cashed in, these policies are often more expensive than term life insurance policies
In addition to knowing that there will be a payout, there is another reason many people like whole life insurance policies. They can set up a payment plan so the policy is paid off in 20 or 25 years. For those who buy these policies young, that means you can have your whole life insurance policy paid off before you get into your retirement years, where your income may be dramatically reduced.
The selection of a life insurance plan will differ by your needs, your wants and your budget the key is to know what's out there and then to make an intelligent decision as to what would be best for you.
by Stephen Sikes
www.InsuredItAll.com


2 comments:

Matt said...

Good post...I went through this (research) last year when I was trying to decide whether to buy term life insurance or whole/universal life. As long as you look around and get some good comparison-shopping rates, you'll come out well. Remember, only make the decision that is right for you and your family--don't get pressured into a "one-size-fits-all" approach.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the above poster. That is it important to stick with what your very own situation is when determining what type of life insurance you should choose. Term life insurance can seem the better deal but you also have to look at the downsides to term insurance.