Although purchasing life insurance can give you peace of mind, if you’re not sure what you’re doing, you can end up getting frustrated or overwhelmed by your search for an appropriate policy. Use the tips that you will find in the article to help you avoid common insurance pitfalls and point you in the right direction.
Determine what your needs are for life insurance. There are many calculators online that will help you get an idea of what will be needed to cover your survivor’s expenses. Research the different possibilities to help decide what amount of coverage will work best for you and your family.
Although it may seem tempting, lying about your health, occupation or lifestyle in order to reduce your life insurance premium is extremely risky. Insurance companies investigate many claims, and, if they suspect that you gave them false information, your claim may be denied or your heirs may spend years in needless litigation. Whether you a smoker, a lumberjack or an extreme sports enthusiast, make sure your insurance company is aware of it.
When you are consulting an advisor to assist you in your search for a life insurance policy, you should know how the advisor is paid for his or her services. Discover if they are compensated through commission or fee. With commission involved, you should look at all the alternative products out there because the advisor may have their own interests in mind.
Life insurance can help ease the burden to your family by helping with funeral and burial expenses. Policies also pay your family an amount that you designate. For a relatively low monthly cost, your family can be covered $100,000, $250,000, $500,000, or another amount that is right for you.
Get yourself a policy that has a “conversion to permanent” clause. This refers to the fact that at any time, the policy holder can switch their term insurance into permanent insurance without further medical exams. While this may not save money at first, it will eventually save money if you start suffering from poor from health problems before the policy runs out.
If you have an old whole-life policy that you’ve had for several years, you should not attempt to replace it. The reason is because you could lose the premiums you have paid, and you could have to pay new administration fees. If you need more insurance on a whole-life policy, then you should just purchase more instead of discarding your current policy.
If you have a spouse, consider a joint-life policy, as you may be able to get a good discount on it. This can really save a married couple money on their life insurance. It’s important, however, that you know that this policy doesn’t have a double payment, and that it will terminate if one party dies.
Before you purchase life insurance, determine what kind of coverage you will need. The internet contains a large number of online calculators that can help you figure out the amount of money your spouse or children would need in the event of your death. Using this type of tool will help ensure that you are purchasing only what you have to have.
If you have a property settlement agreement with a former spouse, setting forth an expectation that the other partner pays all or part of your children’s expenses or alimony, factor this into your life insurance decisions. Should your former spouse die, unless it is clearly in the estate documentation, there is no requirement that the estate will continue to pay those expenses. Instead, it may make sense to insure your ex spouse and list yourself as beneficiary, in order to protect yourself and your children.
To save money on your life insurance, opt for a term life policy. This policy is the easiest and best option for people from the age of twenty to around the age of fifty. If you are over fifty and relatively wealthy, you can opt instead for cash value life insurance.
Ask the hard questions when purchasing life insurance and don’t be afraid to get specific with questions. Will the premiums increase with age? Do these policies include an accidental death rider? Can I renew my policy or cancel it without penalty? Are there comparable products with similar coverage that is less expensive? What is your commission if I purchase this product?
Store your life insurance policy safely. Be sure the beneficiary or beneficiaries know where to find them so that a claim can be submitted quickly and easily when the time comes.
While life insurance is not brain surgery, there are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for a policy. It requires research and questioning, but it is worth it later for you and also your family. When you successfully apply what you read above, you are that much closer to finding the policy that suits your needs and your family’s needs.
