qLife Insurance provides peace of mind, knowing your family will be financially supported after your death. Bankrate offers a wide range of policy options to fit your needs.
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While life insurance can seem complex, it’s quite simple: You purchase a policy that pays a lump sum to your beneficiaries upon your death. Premiums are typically tax-deductible. The primary purpose of any life insurance policy is to provide peace of mind and financial security for your loved ones. Life insurance can help your family pay the bills, cover funeral costs, and maintain their living standards after your death.
Term life insurance is one of the most common types of policies. It provides coverage for a specific period of time, from 10 to 30 years. It offers the biggest benefit for your premium dollar. There are two types of term policies: level term and decreasing term. Level term offers a death benefit that remains the same throughout the policy’s duration, while decreasing term covers an amount less each year. Some insurers also offer a guaranteed term renewal option. These allow you to renew your policy on a year-to-year basis without taking a medical exam, but you will usually pay higher premiums.
Some people choose to buy a term life policy after they have significant expenses, such as a mortgage or children in college, or when they’re concerned about outliving their savings. It’s also common for employees to get a basic group life insurance policy through their employer that provides an amount equal to one or two times their salary. You should always obtain individual quotes to ensure you’re getting the right coverage at the best price, especially when your needs change.
When purchasing life insurance, it’s important to find a trusted company that has a strong reputation for customer service. A good place to start is with the AM Best financial strength rating, which gives you a sense of an insurer’s predicted ability to pay claims. Other important considerations include a company’s ratings from consumer trend studies and J.D. Power life insurance ratings. You may also want to find out if the insurer has a history of paying claims on time. Finally, you should be sure to consider all fees and charges when comparing life insurance policies.
Whole Life Insurance
Whole life insurance provides lifetime coverage as long as premiums are paid. It is typically considered the most conservative type of permanent life insurance and offers some of the most guarantees from an insurer, including a level premium, guaranteed death benefit2 and guaranteed cash value accumulation.
A portion of each premium goes toward the cost of your policy, and a portion goes towards the accumulation of cash value, which is tax-deferred. The cash value in your policy can be used while you’re still alive to pay for things like final expenses or to help supplement your income in retirement.
When you pass away, your beneficiaries will receive a payment (called the death benefit) equal to the amount of the policy you choose minus any loan balance. Some whole life policies may also allow you to borrow against the cash value, which can be a great option for those who want an extra boost of financial security and confidence that they will have money available for their family in the event of an emergency.
Many people choose whole life because they have immediate needs such as paying for funeral costs or debt, or they want to leave a legacy to their family or favorite charity. Some may even use their life insurance to cover their children’s education or a mortgage, or to create an income in retirement.
It’s important to consider all of your short-term and long-term needs when choosing a life insurance plan, because your lifestyle and family will change over time, as will your financial obligations. To make sure you have enough life insurance to meet your needs, take into account any current debts or outstanding loans and projects that will need to be paid off in the near future, as well as any long-term goals for your family such as retirement and child’s college education.
If you’re looking for a simple and affordable solution to secure your family’s financial future, we recommend exploring our variety of term and whole life insurance policies. With a quick, easy application process and no medical exam required, you can get the coverage you need without delay.
Universal Life Insurance
As its name implies, universal life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance with flexible premiums and death benefits. The premium payments you make are credited with interest, which builds up in the cash value of your policy. Unlike whole life insurance, you can increase or decrease your premium payment amount within certain limits. Typically, you will pay more toward your premium when the policy has more cash value and less when it has less.
While universal life policies offer more flexibility than other types of permanent coverage, they can still be costly, especially if you need to make substantial changes in the future. In addition, there is no guarantee that the cost of insurance charges will remain the same, and you must continually monitor your cash value to ensure it has enough value to cover the policy’s expenses.
Compared to whole life insurance, universal policies also tend to have more fees and restrictions. For example, a universal policy might require that you complete a medical exam before increasing your death benefit. And if you don’t keep up with your premium payments, your policy may lapse.
Some universal life policies have riders you can add to enhance your coverage. These add-ons can include an accelerated death benefit rider, which allows you to access the death benefit early in the event of a terminal illness. Another common rider is accidental death coverage, which increases the payout if you die as a result of an accident.
The types of riders that are available for universal life insurance will vary by insurer. You can check the fine print to see what’s included in the standard policy and which additional features you must buy separately.
Some of the more common riders available for a universal life policy are family rider options, which can allow you to cover children or spouses at no additional cost. You can also choose to purchase an accelerated death benefit rider, which lets you access the death benefit early in the event of an illness like cancer or a heart attack.
Variable Life Insurance
Variable life insurance (VLI) combines a permanent death benefit with an investment component. This allows you to allocate your policy’s cash value into various investment options—similar to mutual funds. Your cash value and investment gains are tax-deferred. However, your investments may lose value over time due to market fluctuations.
Unlike term life insurance, VLI has a cash value that grows over time. This money can be used to cover your funeral costs or other expenses at your death. In addition, VLI policies typically come with a No-Lapse Guarantee, meaning your death benefit will continue to pay out if you stop paying premiums. However, withdrawals and policy loans will reduce the amount of your death benefit and may cause your coverage to lapse.
With a VLI policy, you can decide how to invest your cash value, depending on your financial goals and risk tolerance. You can also adjust your annual premium payment based on your changing needs and lifestyle. However, you should understand that your premium payments and death benefits will be affected by the performance of your investments.
Because a variable life insurance policy is closer to an investment than a traditional whole or universal life insurance policy, it requires more extensive underwriting. This means that people with deteriorating health or who are in poor health may not qualify for this type of life insurance.
A variable life insurance policy’s investment component gives you the option to invest your policy’s cash value into different portfolios of mutual funds, allowing you to potentially earn higher returns than those of traditional life insurance policies. This is a great option for investors who want to supplement their retirement savings with additional investment opportunities. Like other whole life insurance policies, the death benefits of a variable life insurance policy are income tax free. But be aware that if you withdraw or borrow from your policy, the proceeds will be taxed. It is important to consult a qualified tax professional before deciding to withdraw or borrow from your policy.