Life insurance is important for planning your money and what you leave behind when you’re gone. There are two main types: term life and permanent life (also called whole life). Knowing the key differences between them can help you choose the right one for you.
What Is Life Insurance?
Life insurance is an agreement between you and an insurance company. If you pass away, the company promises to give money to the people you choose. You pay money, called premiums, to the company regularly while you’re alive.
The best insurance companies are financially strong, have few complaints from customers, make customers happy, offer different types of policies, provide extra benefits, and make it easy to apply for insurance.
Types of Life Insurance
There are lots of different life insurance options to fit different needs and likes. When choosing insurance, it’s important to decide if you want coverage for a short time or for your whole life, depending on what you need.
Term life insurance
Term life insurance is usually sold for different periods like one year, five years, 10 years, and so on, up to 30 years. The amount of coverage you get can be a lot, even millions of dollars.
Many people get term life insurance to cover them during their main working years. This helps if they pass away early, as it can assist their spouse or someone else they choose by providing money to pay off things like a mortgage or help with expenses like college for their kids.
Whole life insurance
Whole life insurance lasts as long as you live and pay for it regularly. It’s like a “set it and forget it” type of insurance. With it, you pay the same amount regularly, and your money grows over time. Plus, the amount your loved ones get when you pass away doesn’t change.
Universal life insurance
Universal life insurance is a type of insurance that lets you change how much you pay for it, and it builds up some savings over time. It’s kind of like having a piggy bank inside your insurance. As you pay for it, the piggy bank grows, and it’s based on how well investments do in the stock market.
But with time, the amount you need to pay can go up, and you might have to use some of the savings to cover the higher costs. There’s also another type called indexed universal life insurance, where the savings grow depending on how well certain parts of the stock market do.
Variable life insurance
This kind of life insurance is connected to investment accounts, like bonds and mutual funds. With variable life insurance, you pay the same amount regularly, and your family will get a set amount of money when you pass away, no matter how the market is doing.
If you’re thinking about getting this kind of policy, it’s a good idea to talk to a fee-only financial advisor. They won’t earn money from selling you specific products, so they can help you find the right policy for you.
Burial insurance
Burial insurance, also called final expense insurance, is a type of small life insurance. It’s designed to help your family cover the costs of your funeral, burial, and any other expenses after you pass away, such as medical bills you may still owe. The amount of money your family gets when you die is fixed, usually between $5,000 and $25,000.
Why You Need Life Insurance
Life insurance is for your family if something happens to you. It helps them with money for things like paying off the house, clearing debts, covering funeral costs, and supporting their kids’ education. By adding up these expenses, you can figure out how much insurance you should get.
How Much Does Life Insurance Cost
Several things can influence how much you pay for life insurance. Some factors you can’t change, but there are others you can work on to possibly lower the cost before and after you apply. Your health and age are the main things that decide how much you’ll pay, so it’s usually smart to get this insurance as soon as you can.
If you were given the green light for an insurance plan, but later on, you get healthier and start living better, you can ask to change your risk level. If it turns out you’re not as healthy as before, your payments won’t increase. But if you’re healthier, your payments might drop. You might even get more coverage for less money than you first paid.
Companies That Offer This Insurance
Here are some companies that offer this Insurance:
- State Farm
- Northwestern Mutual
- Guardian Life
- MassMutual
- Penn Mutual
- AXA
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main purpose of life insurance?
Which types of life insurance generate cash value?
In certain types of life insurance, like whole, universal, and variable life insurance, the money you put in builds up over time. When there’s enough saved, you can borrow from it, take out some cash, or even use it to cover your insurance payments.
Check Out: