Nationwide Debt Authority

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.

Universal life insurance allows you to adjust the premium and policy amount to what you feel you need.

If you want control over the financial and investing aspects of your insurance policy, your best option would be a variable life insurance policy. This policy is similar to a universal policy in that it accrues cash value, but you can choose how this cash value is invested.

So what’s a term life insurance policy?

A term life policy provides insurance over a specific period of time, and expires after the coverage period ends. They come in different lengths, including 5, 10, and 20 years. After the policy expires, there is no accumulated cash value, and no benefits to be paid; death benefits are only paid if you die while the policy is active. Term insurance could be described as a policy that’s 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.

In a term life policy that renews annually and carries a $200,000 death benefit, the annual premiums might look like the example below. Remember, these are just examples to show the differences in cost with age:

Age 35: $300/year

Age 50: $900/year

$2,500 / year age 65

Description of a Whole Life Insurance Policy

A whole life insurance policy remains in force until you either die or reach age 100, so long as you pay the premiums on time. Whole life is the most common type of life insurance sold. Whole life is also known as “ordinary life” or “permanent” insurance. The main characteristics of a whole life insurance policy are level premiums, level face amounts, guaranteed values, and a relatively high degree of safety. Whole life policies accrue cash value over the life of the policy; a policyholder can access this cash for emergencies, as a supplemental source of retirement income or for any other needs.

This ability to access the cash accrued by a whole life policy makes it an important savings instrument. Whole life policies are often used for long-term financial planning. Another very positive aspect of whole life insurance is the level premiums: they don’t change, so you’ll always know how much your policy is going to cost. Level premiums provide peace of mind and make budgeting easier.

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. For tips on how to save on your life insurance visit our website.

If you have anyone in your life that rely on you to support them financially then you will want to have proper life insurance coverage. Life cover should be at the top of your list of priorities. How will your family survive financially when you are gone? It is not something any of us want to think about but it is reality.

All of us should have life insurance. It is not fair to the ones we leave behind that depend on us if we do not plan for the future.

A lump sum life cover policy is pretty straight forward. The tricky part is finding the plan option and coverage amount that is right for you. You can ask your agent for information about each plan type and get helpful advice on selecting the right policy for you and your needs.

There are some things you should know prior to applying for life coverage. Determine how much life coverage you really need, be careful not to take out too small of an amount. Do not forget to factor the home loan and other bills. Life insurance calculators can be located on the internet to help with deciding the amount of cover you need. Being under insured is a common mistake. You want to ensure you are not over insured as well.

You will have to figure out how long you will want the insurance coverage in place. A trust will ensure that all loved ones receive their benefits.

Be careful not to pay more than you really can afford. If you are young and healthy you can expect to pay a lower rate for your policy. Major health problems will result in a very pricey policy.

One of the more popular policies is the Level Term Assurance (LTA) this means your policy amount will stay the same through the duration of the coverage. If you are looking for a less expensive policy and only need coverage for a debt such as a mortgage you can buy Decreasing Term Assurance (DTA) for a great rate.

The most popular cover is the Level Term Assurance (LTA) where the sum of your insured amount remains the same for the duration of the term. If you only require cover for payment of a home loan or other decreasing debt you could check out Decreasing Term Assurance (DTA) for a much better rate.

If you have had a life cover policy for many years you might want to shop around, it is possible to switch to a lower cost one. Always look to be sure you are not losing any irreplaceable benefits when cancelling a policy.

A new policy could be higher priced is you have had any major health issues or other life altering situations.

So many people apply for life insurance policies, but only a few of them get approved for the same. It is certainly not the easiest of jobs to get a life insurance policy. You may have enough money to pay the premiums, but it does not make you eligible for the policy. Your application for a life insurance will be assessed and analyzed. In other words, a thorough underwriting would be done on the application. Underwriting consists of the risk analysis to approve the application, and the decision on appropriate premium amounts to be paid by the individual.

Companies hires experts, called the underwriters to do the underwriting for them. At the end of the day, insurance companies need to earn profits that make them so choosy about accepting life insurance applications. There are three steps involved in the process of underwriting which are examine the application, decision to insure or not, determine the premium. Below is a discussion on these steps.

The first step needs the companies to gather information about the applicant. The application needs to be examined against many parameters, such as marital status, sex, type of living area, age, and current health status and so on. All these parameters are looked into one by one, and a final conclusion is then drawn.

After all the information about the applicant is handy, the risk assessment triggers. The applicant is remarked against all the above parameters one by one. These parameters are termed as the risk factors. The applicant needs to score low on these risk factors to get through this phase successfully. Each of the risk factors holds its own importance and value. However, most companies give extra significance to the age and health of the applicant. If the applicant is young and healthy, the chances of approval are very strong. As against this, if the applicant is old and ailing, the denial is on the cards. The living environment of the applicant has a huge role to play as well. If the applicant happens to live in a polluted and unhygienic area, the insurance company starts to feel a little edgy about approving the application. At the same time, a good and healthy living environment of the applicant makes it considerably easy for the companies to approve the application. Gender is another point of evaluation for many companies. Women are thought of living a better and healthier life as compared to men. This is because they are known to take lesser depressions in life. On the other hand, married men are believed to life a healthier life as compared to the married women. Another important aspect of consideration is the living habits of the individual. If the applicant smokes and drinks, there are likely to be negligible chances of an approval. The aim behind all these considerations is to ensure that the probability of the individual living longer is more.

The above risk factors also help in determining the premium amounts for the individual. A high score would get the individual to pay higher premiums. A young and healthy individual normally pays lower premiums as compared to an old ailing individual.