05/24/2020
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance company and an individual, in which the insurance company agrees that if the individual (“the insured”) should die during the term of the life insurance policy, the insurance company will pay the predetermined amount of money to the beneficiary chosen by the insured upon their death.
Life insurance may be purchased for a predetermined term, usually of 5-30 years, or on a permanent basis.
Reasons to Buy Life Insurance
People buy life insurance for many reasons. The most common reason is to leave some money to your family in the event that you die, so that they don’t end up in financial crisis due to your lost income. However, there are a few other reasons to buy life insurance you may want to consider:
To cover funeral costs
To secure your mortgage instead of buying insurance through the bank
To pay off credit debts or other loans so your estate or family do not get stuck with your debts
To pay estate taxes
To protect your spouse’s lifestyle, even if you do not have children
To protect your future lifestyle by locking in a lower life insurance rate while you are younger, healthier, and don’t have any problem with a medical exam
To build wealth as part of your financial strategy
What Are the Different Types of Life Insurance?
Let’s start by walking through the different types of life insurance, and the pros and cons of each.
Term Life Insurance: Term life insurance is an affordable option that allows you great flexibility in regard to how long you want the policy for, as well as to the limit of insurance. Because it is for a specified term, you may also ask for a fixed rate which allows you to budget your payments for the given term. Term insurance starts at 5 years and can go up to 30. This is the least expensive option.
Whole Life Insurance: Whole life insurance is a permanent form of life insurance because it covers you for the term of your life. Unlike term insurance which expires after the selected amount of years you insured yourself for. The disadvantage for some people in a whole life policy is that the premiums are usually higher.
Universal Life Insurance: Universal life is a type of whole life insur