While it is difficult to consider one’s own death, for those who may be leaving loved ones behind, it is a necessity. Funerals are costly and the possibility of lost income and just the general cost of living can be overwhelming with the death of a family member. Life insurance can grant you peace of mind that your family will be taken care of should something unexpected happen to you. This article will provide you with some valuable information regarding life insurance.
When shopping for life insurance, be sure to know the differences between the two main types: term life and permanent. Term life is a chosen amount of years that your benefactors are eligible to receive your insurance money. If you outlive these years, then the plan is void. Permanent life insurance stays with you until you die, but rates will generally be higher.
When choosing life insurance, you may also wish to look into purchasing burial insurance. This is fairly cheap insurance and will cover things such as your casket, funeral home costs, transportation and other such things. This is well worth it as the costs for these items can be extraordinary, if they come from out of pocket.
Make sure and only by life insurance from companies that are in a strong financial position. Rating agencies like Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and others give ratings to insurance companies. Do not work with any company that does not have an “A” rating from these agencies to protect your investments.
Take in consideration ongoing and fixed expenses when choosing a policy. Life insurance can also pay for funeral expenses or estate taxes, which can cost quite a bit.
Once you have determined you need life insurance, next you need to figure out how much you need. There are several online calculators you can use, and some other formulas an insurance agent can help you with. If you want a ballpark figure quickly, take your salary and multiply it by 8. This will give you an estimate of how much life insurance you need.
Do not pay for someone’s commission when you are buying life insurance. These commissions are paid to a broker and agent, and the cost of them is included into the premiums. You may be able to find a company that offers insurance without an agent’s commission being added to it. If so, this will lower your premium.
When choosing life insurance policies, make sure you understand the difference between term and permanent life insurance. Term insurance is good for a set period – once it expires – the insured does not receive benefits. Permanent insurance, while more expensive, accumulates cash value and is guaranteed to stay in force, as long as the policy payments continue.
Before purchasing life insurance, you must understand that insurance is for protection purposes only, which does not include investing. Term insurance gives you protection only, with no savings. Whole life and universal policies offer savings, but they are a lot more expensive and you would be better off using the cost savings to invest in something else.
Compare your group life insurance against other policies. Group life policies, usually provided by your employer, may not always be the least expensive option. The rates are set based on averages — average age, average health and other important risk factors that may not apply to you. If you have excellent health, shop around to see if you can get better rates elsewhere.
Try to avoid the “guaranteed issue” life insurance policies. These policies are given to almost everyone who applies and they don’t require medical exams. The issue is that the issuing company doesn’t know if the policy holder is healthy, which makes these risky to the company. While this policy could be convenient, these risks mean that they will be more expensive for the customer. They tend to only be beneficial when a person is in poor health and cannot get any other type of life insurance policy.
When purchasing life insurance, it’s important that you understand your particular needs. Nobody knows what you need or what your family needs better than you, so take time to think any policy choice through, examining the situation from every possible angle and determining what best fits your particular needs.
A great tip to lower your life insurance premiums is to figure out how much insurance you actually need. You should determine this amount yourself, and do not leave it to insurance companies because they often will overestimate how much insurance you need. This will lead to higher premiums you will have to pay. Therefore, you should only purchase a policy that has the exact amount of insurance you need.
With the many types of life insurance available, following the advice in this article can help you choose what is best for you and your family. It may seem like a daunting task, but the immeasurable peace of mind it will bring to you and your family will be well worth the work.
