A Few Tips On Purchasing Life Insurance
Apr 1
If you have a spouse and children and are the main income earner of the family, you do not want to leave them in a position of hardship should anything happen to you. Yet without considering the purchase of a life insurance policy, this is a situation that could become a reality. Here are some things you need to know.
Many people buy term life insurance when they're younger because it's cheap. Others are persuaded to buy whole life insurance, which, unlike term, has a cash value and can presumably be viewed as an investment. If you're in good health, term is generally the best value. Try to lock in term insurance for the longest possible timespan you can find. When it runs out, if you're still in good health, keep looking for term. Most of the time, whole life will be more expensive, but as you age, term life will also get quite expensive to cover the inevitable health issues that will crop up. Remember: term life as long as it makes sense ratewise, then switch to whole life.
A person should not wait until they are sick to consider life insurance. Many preexisting conditions can make you ineligible for a life insurance policy. If you are eligible, premiums will likely be higher than they would be for a healthy individual. Taking out a policy while you're healthy is the best way to protect yourself, and your family.
When you are selecting your life insurance policy, it is important to determine how much coverage you actually need. The amount of money that will be needed after your death is going to be specific to your family's situation, so you're the only one who can calculate the needed coverage. Don't let a salesperson push you into more coverage than you actually need.
Prior to looking for life insurance on your own, check with your employer to see if there is available coverage through them. In many cases, employers can negotiate a rate for their employees and their family members. This can save you a lot of money and give you a great policy as well.
When you are consulting an advisor to assist you in your search for a life insurance policy, you should know how the advisor is paid for his or her services. Discover if they are compensated through commission or fee. With commission involved, you should look at all the alternative products out there because the advisor may have their own interests in mind.
Take advantage of the accelerated death benefit option if it's offered by your insurance company. This life insurance benefit allows the policyholder to receive a substantial amount of the death benefit of the policy, in the case of a terminal illness. This can allow the insured to use this benefit to cover things such as medical costs, experimental treatments, a trip, home improvements or nursing staff.
Before purchasing life insurance you should determine the amount of coverage that you need. The easiest way to do this is to take your average yearly salary and multiply it by eight. There are also a number of simple to use online calculators that will help you figure out how much life insurance you need.
Speaking with an independent broker about your life insurance policy options is a pretty good way to avoid the company's sales pitch. A private broker will always have access to many more policy options, meaning that you will have a much wider range of life insurance policies to choose from.
A great tip to potentially save money on life insurance is to choose a term policy with a "conversion to permanent"� clause. This means you can switch this term insurance policy into a permanent one with no more medical exams. This can save you money if you have sudden health problems while your term insurance policy is still active.
A great method to keep your life insurance premiums as cheap as possible is to shop for all policies available to you before committing. You should get quotes from many different companies, compare these quotes, and discuss your options with an adviser. You may immediately run across a good deal, but there may be a deal that is even better if you keep searching.
Make sure you have detailed health history information with you when you go for your life insurance medical examination. Often, you must provide details about prior surgeries, accidents, medication and dosage, existing conditions or other medical conditions. Having the information on hand makes the process quicker and simpler both for you and the examiner.
Using the advice above, you should now be a little wiser as to whether buying a life insurance policy would be beneficial to you and your family. While it may have a monthly cost that seems like an extra burden, is the financial burden your family would face without you not just as much, if not more?