Posts Tagged ‘life insurance’

Types Of Life Insurance Policies

Posted in Finance on September 3rd, 2010 by Graham McKenzie – Be the first to comment

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.

Essential Facts With Reference To Life Insurance

Posted in Finance on September 2nd, 2010 by Craig Lewis – Be the first to comment

Life insurance is a very important investment that many people make at some point in time or another. Before jumping in and making a purchase there are some important things that should be taken into consideration. Here we will look at what some of those things are,

One of the first things that needs to be done is an assessment of the debts that are owing. These are all bills and loans that are still being paid on that will need to be paid at the time of your death. Many people want to be sure that they have enough life insurance to cover all of these debts so that the remainder of the estate is left untouched for the loved ones they leave behind.

You should also have some idea as to what kind of funeral costs will be when you die. This is where a lot of people have found that prepaying and pre- planning their funeral is a good idea. They are able to know what the costs are and have all or the majority of the costs paid for before anything may happen to them which in turn leaves less money owing when it comes time for the debts of the deceased to be paid.

Many of the companies will offer a benefit of this kind to the people that they employ. For single people or those that have very few debts this can be more than enough coverage. For those that have children or spouses they may opt to buy more to be sure that there is something left to help these loved ones out when they are gone.

The costs are also something that needs to be looked at very closely. Most companies offer life insurance for far cheaper rates if it is purchased at a younger age. This is something to think about as your financial situation is something that can change suddenly and this is one of those investments that you will continue paying every month, so being sure that it is a reasonable fee is of the utmost importance.

Take the time to look at the different kinds of insurance that can bought as the prices will vary with each different kind. This can help you determine the most affordable options that are at your disposal. Be sure that the cost is something that you can cover if you were to have a change in your financial situation later on.

Many companies can be found that offer this kind of protection for you and your loved ones. Take some time to look at them over the internet and you will be surprised at the number of companies that will be found. Keeping track of the quotes you get is a very good way of being able to compare the rates and coverage options you have looked at when the time comes to make a final choice.

Family members are another way to find out about life insurance companies. Many people will be glad to let you know what they feel about the company they deal with and this information can all be used to help you decide what company you may want to do business with. Educating yourself is crucial when it comes to making good decisions in this regard.

Acquisition of a life insurance policy is intended to provide financial security for family members following your demise. Life insurance helps to prevent economic disaster during a time of grief.

Things You Need To Consider Before Buying Life Insurance

Posted in Finance on August 9th, 2010 by Craig Lewis – Be the first to comment

It is important to you and your family that you think of the future of your family should anything happen to you when the family would least expect it and when they might most need you. Life insurance can help make your family more secure in this type of situation. If you end up with too little insurance it could devastate the lives of your loved ones. Knowing how much insurance you might need is a very important decision you will need to make.

Of course it is important to know if your family actually needs to be covered by insurance. If you know that your family does not fully rely upon your income then there really is no reason to be spending the extra money on this type of insurance.

Should you decide that your family would need to have the benefits of the insurance then you will need to figure out approximately how much they will need to have to live on and for about how long. When there is a loss of a family member it is extremely emotional and can be a financial burden at the time as well. So you need to consider an amount of time they might need to have to get over the loss and not have to worry about any money issues. This time is generally said to be on the average a two year period, which should give most people time to get back on track.

You need to also calculate just how much you think their expenses will be during this period of time. You should consider college money, money for mortgage or rent, clothing, food needs and utilities. After you have figured out the expenses you should calculate how much salary you think they should be able to make themselves. After doing that, subtract the expenses from the calculated income. This will leave you with a basic idea of how much insurance you may need to buy.

Where you are in your life should be a huge factor as well when deciding whether or not you need to buy insurance. Should you have young children then the amount of insurance you need to buy should be more than the insurance you might buy should you be in the later stages of your life.

The simplest insurance that is available to buy is called term life. This type of insurance is when you pay for the premium for a certain amount of time for a certain type of benefit. This insurance is only temporary. Once you decide to quit paying for it the insurance will end too. This is the least expensive type of life insurance on the market.

A universal policy is the type that allows you to adjust your insurance premiums right as well as the type of death benefits you want to pay for. This lets you choose how you want to actually invest your policy and the dollar value it offers. You can also put some of it aside for cash value that you can use for personal needs before you die. This policy though is a type of policy that the payments go up dramatically as soon as you hit the age of 60.

It is very important to note that you should be wary of some of the insurance companies that are selling life insurance. It is dangerous to go with companies that have not been around long or that you have not heard of. Make sure to do your homework and check the ratings of all the insurance companies. These ratings are important and will tell you how strong an insurance company is financially.

Get more details and information on how to select the best life insurance fast and easy! When you get several life insurance quotes, it is important that you know what to look for to find the best deal!

Some Tips On How To Choose A Life Insurance Company

Posted in Finance on July 24th, 2010 by Mike Christian – Be the first to comment

Life insurance is something that is absolutely crucial to many families in allowing them to secure the financial future of the family should to the main breadwinner suffer an untimely end. Due to this it is crucial that whenever you look for a decent life insurance policy you consider the company closely and when doing this there are a number of things you should think about.

When you first look for some relevant companies it is a good idea to get some quotes from many different ones. Doing this will help you to narrow the field and identify only those companies that will actually be suitable for your personal requirements and the features that you require from the policy that you want to get.

Certainly another crucial factor that you should consider will be in actually making sure that any company that you locate and are interested in is licensed to operate within your state of residence. You can do this by very simply getting in touch with the Department of insurance in your state and if you go through this process you will only spend time in researching those companies that you may actually get your policy from.

Certainly it is very important for you to find out about all you can about the company who you might purchase your policy from. It is much better to get all the information you can right now rather than going through the process and then finding that there is something that doesn’t quite work for you. You should therefore be phoning up different insurance companies and asking them a series of question to satisfy your curiosity.

Certainly getting advice from a number of different sources is another factor that you should consider. You can do this by simply going to family and friends who might have relevant insurance policies from different companies. In addition, you can take advantage of the resources available on the Internet and can look through things such as forums or discussion boards as well.

Certainly looking through different rating websites is another good idea. There are all sorts of independent raters who will list the different companies and the features that they offer. Looking through these will allow you to identify the most suitable ones for you.

These are just a few things that you should be thinking of doing when trying to locate and choose a life insurance company.

In the market for affordable yet reliable life insurance cover? Get the low down on the best cover with our life insurance company overview.