There are so many life insurance options out there that one can spend a lot of time on just choosing what type of life insurance they need. But before you even start thinking about your options, decide whether you need life insurance at all. It’s the most important decision concerning this type of insurance, because if you don’t really need it then it’s better to go without it altogether. But if you feel the need to keep some of your life aspects covered then get ready for a deep investigation of the life insurance market.

How can one determine whether they need life insurance? It’s not that hard like you would imagine. This decision depends on your current responsibilities you bear. If you have dependents, a spouse, a mortgage loan or any other aspects that should be secured no matter what, you will definitely find it useful to buy life insurance coverage.

Once you have decided on buying life insurance, it’s time to determine how much coverage you actually need. It’s important, because the amount of coverage carried by your policy strongly affects the cost of your policy. There are no strict rules and methods of defining the amount of coverage as there are many factors involved (number of dependants, your income, your loans), however you can start with multiplying your annual salary by 5-10 to get an approximate number. Continue reading →

Most of people in US know that there are two forms of insuring one’s life: term and whole. And as you can guess from the name, whole life policies provide continuous coverage for a person’s entire life, while term policies cover only for a specified period of time.

Today, term policies are the most widespread form of life coverage due to their simplicity, clearness and relative cheapness. And the fact that you can purchase multiple policies and tailor them according to your current insurance needs makes term insurance the best option for meeting short-term goals. For example, you have to pay off a mortgage after some time or make sure your kids go to college when it’s time. And term insurance policies can give you the required financing after the term expires.

Most insurance companies provide term coverage for specified periods of time, which usually range from 5 to 30 years. Besides, most term insurance policies are renewable so that you can continue having coverage for as long as you need. Get life insurance quotes from different providers to see what your options are and get the most competitive rates, because they can vary significantly from one company to another.

Term insurance features

• Initially low costs. Term policies are cheaper than whole life policies because they cover lower degrees of risk and do not provide additional benefits of continuous insurance. Whole life policies are often used as a form of investment, while term policies do not provide such added benefits and thus are cheaper.
• Adjustable premiums. Most term life insurance policies have pre-set premiums over the entire insurance term. They may be adjusted due to various circumstances but never exceeding specified limits, which are stated in the policy.
• Renewability. When the term if your life insurance expires you may choose to prolong the policy above this limit or receive the policy benefits. If you choose to renew your policy it will be prolonged for a specified period of time and your rates will likely be higher than you’ve paid initially, because the insurance company will take your current age and health conditions for calculating the rates, not the ones you’ve had when signing the initial policy.
• Conversion. This feature allows a term insurance policy to be converted to a continuous insurance policy while the term is in effect. Not all companies offer such an option, but it is most likely that your company will allow this. If you’re looking into this option before getting the actual policy it is best to learn whether the company allows it in the first place instead of looking for another company in case you want this option and your company doesn’t provide it.

So if you’re looking for cheap life insurance, term policies are the best way to get good coverage for a reasonable price. Besides, the features you get with a term policy give you a high degree of flexibility if compared to whole life products. However, if you want to have even more benefits and money distribution options with your policy it is best to look for a continuous insurance product. But be ready to pay way more than for term insurance because the added benefits have their price tag too.