All life insurance policies are either term, whole, or some combination of these two types of policies. However, there are many different forms that life insurance can take, even within these types.
Universal life insurance allows you to adjust the premium and policy amount to what you feel you need.
On the other hand, a person who wants control over the financial and investment aspects of their insurance policy should choose variable life insurance.
So what’s a term life insurance policy?
A term life policy provides protection for a predetermined period of time, such as 5, 10 or 20 years. At the end of this time the policy expires – the death benefit is only paid while the policy is in effect. A term policy doesn’t accumulate any cash value. Term life insurance has been described as “insurance that is actually designed to expire before you do.”
The premiums on term life policies start out low but can increase substantially as your age increases. This makes term life the best type of policy to purchase when you’re young and the term of the policy is long. Although the shorter term renewable policies would be less expensive in the beginning, the premiums start to increase significantly after middle age.
Below here is an illustrative example which shows the difference of term life insurance policy cost with age.
$300 / year age 35
Age 50: $900/year
Age 65: $2,500/year
Description of a Whole Life Insurance Policy
Whole life is the most common type of life insurance. The policy remains in effect until you die or reach age 100, assuming you pay the scheduled premium. Whole life insurance is also known as ‘ordinary life’ or ‘permanent’ insurance. They feature level premiums, level face amounts, guaranteed values, and a high degree of safety. Whole life insurance has a guaranteed cash value, through which a living benefit is built. Because of this, the owner can access the cash for emergencies, or use it as a supplement to retirement income if necessary.
The most important benefit for the whole life insurance policy is that it includes the advantages of both savings and insurance. When there is a long term financial planning then, whole life insurances are the best option. There is also another benefit from the policy .That is the level premiums. This kind of policy will give you the peace of mind, so as not to get worried about the premium rates going up.
The risk factor of whole life insurance policies is quite different from that of an auto insurance policy, by definition. With auto insurance, the insurer hopes that the policy holder will drive safely so that they never have to pay out the claim; with whole life insurance, however, the insurance company knows that they will have to pay the claim someday.
Shopping for life insurance is now quite simple to do online. You can compare companies and policies to make sure you get the best premiums for the policy that meets your needs. It’s well worth the time to get several quotes, and to see how the companies are rated with the Better Business Bureau. It’s also important to look into the financial standings of the companies you’re considering before you sign up for any type of life insurance policy. If you do your research, you will easily get the best whole life insurance policy online.
Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal.