All life insurance policies can be categorized as “term”, “whole life”, or a combination of the two. This means there are many different variations in policies.
For example, universal life insurance which is a type of permanent life insurance, allows you to adjust the premium and the coverage to the amounts you need. This type of insurance accrues cash value which earns interest.
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?
The term life insurance policy provides insurance protection for a particular period of time. The term may be extended to 5, 10, or 20 years. When the term ends the policy also expires without any benefits and without any saved or accumulated cash value. But if you die during this term then the death benefit will be paid. The term insurance policy can be said as insurance that is actually designed to expire before you do.?
Usually the premiums on the term insurance are not that big, but as you grow older you will have to pay more. So considering the profits a term life insurance policy is more economical when bought at a younger age along with a longer term. Even though the short term renewable policies are substantially lower when people are young, it will be highly expensive when purchased after middle age.
Below here is an illustrative example which shows the difference of term life insurance policy cost with age.
Age 35: $300/year
$900 / year age 50
$2,500 / year age 65
What’s a whole life insurance policy?
The most common type of insurance sold in the market today is the whole life insurance policy. A whole life insurance policy is valid till you die or until you reach the age of 100. But it must be taken care that you pay all the premiums as scheduled. Whole life insurance is otherwise known as the permanent insurance. Level premiums, level face amounts, guaranteed values, and a relatively high degree of safety compared to others are the main differential characteristics of a whole life insurance policy. The guaranteed cash value through the whole life insurance builds a huge benefit for the owner. This is very beneficial for the user, because this cash can be accessed during emergencies, and for other needs as well as a alternative source of retirement income.
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 in this policy is entirely different from the auto policy. In the auto policy the insurance company hopes that the driver will never encounter an accident and will be safe. But on the hand the when issuing a whole life insurance policy, the company is sure that the policy will be claimed one day.
The internet has made researching and comparing different life insurance companies very easy. By doing your research online, you can ensure that you have the best policy at the best premium to meet your needs. It’s also a good idea to see how the companies you’re researching are rated with the Better Business Bureau. Also be sure to check each company’s financial stability before you sign up for a policy. If you work to get all the information you need before buying, it will be very easy to get the best possible life insurance policy online.
Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal.