Monday, December 17, 2007

Don't Get Confused When Talking To Life Insurance Agents

They say taxes and death are the only absolute things in life. Whether this is true or not, you can prepare for both. While tax planning is an interesting subject, we are going to look at life insurance in this article.

Life insurance is a fairly simple concept, but it can appear complex to the average person. The complexity comes from the terms used. If you can understand the language, you can make a better determination of what you need. So, let's talk terms!

References to Adjustable Premiums should be examined closely in any policy. This allows the insurance company to change the premiums on a block of policies during the term of the contract.

An Annual Payment Annuity provides you with simplicity. As the name suggests, you can pay the entire premium for the year at one time. Of course, you need to make sure yo have cash on hand to do so.

When you buy an insurance policy, you will be asked to designate a Beneficiary. This is the person that you want to receive the funds that will be paid out from the policy on the death of the life insured.

The Commutation Rights associated with an insurance policy apply to the beneficiary of the policy. Depending on the policy, the beneficiary may elect to convert installment payments to a lump sum payment.

Many modern insurance policies contain a Contestable Clause. This gives the insurance company up to 2 years to void the policy if they find evidence that would have resulted in the rejection of the policy application when originally made.

Although a basic concept, the term Death Benefit needs to be covered. While death may seem to have few benefits, this refers to the amount to be paid to beneficiaries upon the death of the person whose life it is based upon.

There are life insurance polices designed for business obligations. A Credit Life Insurance is taken out on a business owner and used as collateral for some debt. The beneficiary is the creditor providing the loan to the business owner. If the owner dies, the benefits are used to pay off the debt.

For many people, building up cash value in an insurance policy is a smart move. A Dividend Accumulation clause allows you to do just this, to wit, reinvest an dividend paid by the insurer back into the policy.

The most common type of life insurance is Term Insurance. Term policies vary in design, but you basically pay a premium for a death benefit. There is no cash build up in the policy. The policy has a capped term of five, ten or more years.

The Variable Universal Life Insurance Policy is a more recent and popular product. Premiums and benefits are adjustable. Money is accumulated in the policy and can be invested. The flexibility makes the policy attractive.

As with any area of financial planning, there are a vast number of terms used in the life insurance world. If you don't understand a term used by an agent, ask for an explanation. Don't be shy!


Barry Waxler is a financial planner who writes about financial planning for UFCAmerica.com.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Term Life Insurance No Physical - Really

Can you really get "term life insurance no physical" exam? Yes you can. The interesting thing is that most life insurance companies are jumping on the bandwagon. No physical life insurance has always been available to younger people. The older you get the smaller the amount available. What has happened is that one company made $150,000 of life insurance available online. It did very well initially. The actuaries from other companies went to work. They wanted to find out how far they could push the envelop. How much life insurance could they fairly safely offer online and at what ages.

Another carrier came up with policies which offered $250,000 coverage. Soon a few others joined the fray. It seems to be quite a profitable undertaking as the number of offers increase constantly. This, of course, is good for the consumer.

One guy came up with the idea that you can get $500,000 no medical life insurance online. This may be so, but I question whether this is so. I do because what he is doing is suggesting that a person can buy $250,000 from one company and the immediately go and get another $250,000 from another carrier. The problem about that is that when you buy a life insurance policy medical information about you is put into the Medical Information Bureau's Database. If you apply to one company and they find that you just purchased no medical exam term life insurance from another company they are likely to ask for a complete medical examination.

Incidentally, when you apply for your policy you give the carrier permission to get relevant information on you. You, in fact, permit them to get an Inspection Report.

Why do life insurance companies offer life insurance and ask for no medical exam? It is simply very profitable, if the applicant is in fairly good health. Just think, they eliminate the fee they would need to pay the doctor, paramedic or nurse to check out applicants. In addition they are protected by the "incontestability" clause which states that if the applicant fails to disclose information that would prevent them from issuing the policy they can withdraw it within a specific period of time, usually one or two years.

The no physical term life insurance policies issued are usually level term policies. 10 year term, 15 year term, 20 year term and 30 year term are quite popular. The premiums never increase and the face amounts of the policies never decrease. These are the term policies most selected when the applicant needs a medical as well. The ages at which these policies are issued are usually between age 18 and age 60. The ages and type may vary a bit depending on which life insurance company you are looking at.

So "term life insurance no physical" is a good idea for all parties concerned, as long as the applicant is honest.

Click here to see low cost no physical term life insurance offers: http://www.lifeinsurancehub.net/lifeinsurance-1.html

For additional information on no medical term life insurance go here: http://www.lifeinsurancehub.net/no-physical-term-life-insurance.html


For more than 40 years Donald has been known for his extensive knowledge of the life insurance business. He has represented some of the largest and most admired life insurance companies in the United States as well as Canada. His advice is invaluable.
Donald's website is: http://www.lifeinsurancehub.net

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

The role of life insurance companies

Around the age of thirty, people are becoming more aware of the fact that they need to leave a legacy and that a few people rely on their existence. When you know that you have a family to support, you can't act like a teenager. But this is not enough. Once a person or more are waiting for you to provide for them, you need to assume a few responsibilities. You will soon realize that if something were to happen to you, they couldn't survive spiritually and physically. You can't do anything about the spiritual side, but you can make sure that your loved ones will have everything they need when you die.

When you realize that a life insurance is mandatory for your family, you need to find a life insurance company. This is not a complicated process, but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't choose your life insurance company carefully. The only element that stands between your family and a large amount of money that you had provided through a life insurance is your life insurance company. After you're gone, the company will have to make the last step and make sure that your family will get the amount promised. This is why you should make sure that you get a good life insurance company that tries to work for your best interest. Besides handing the money after your death, your life insurance company also deals with a lot of other legal issues while you are still alive.

Because you don't have to know everything about life insurance policies while you are still alive, your life insurance company should be able to tell you everything about the process. You can choose between a few types of insurances and each one can have advantages and disadvantages. Because you can't take these decisions alone, you need to talk with a company who wants the best for you, not for their profit. There is a certain code of ethics that should be respected by life insurance companies. While they could get a higher profit if you choose a certain program, it doesn't mean that that program is the best choice for you. Your life insurance company should be able to tell you this and after a quick analysis of your situation and they should guide you to a plan that suits your situation best.

Another factor that can be influenced by your life insurance company is the price. You will have to make a few payments throughout the insurance and the value of what you pay and what your family can get at the end can be sometimes better if you know what life insurance company to choose. This means that you can make a good deal if you know where to search for and you won't get the same prices everywhere. However, you should make sure that you find the best price to quality ratio, don't try to get with the cheapest life insurance company only to save a few bucks.

In the end, choosing your life insurance company can be a crucial step in getting a good life insurance policy and sleeping easily at night. You won't worry about anything if you make a good deal on the premiums and if you know that your policy will cover your family for many years. If you want to make a good job when you are searching for life insurance policies, think twice before hiring the fist life insurance company that comes your way.


Find your life insurance company.

Joint Life Insurance versus two Single Life Insurance Plans

This information has been written for the benefit of couples who are looking to purchase life insurance. It shows you the benefits of taking out two single life plans instead of a joint life first death policy.

Having come to the conclusion that you need life insurance for one reason or another, most people do not think that in some cases it could far more beneficial to take out two single life plans rather than a joint life first death.

To understand this principle you first need to be aware of the choices open to you. Say for example you are a couple who need life insurance for whatever reason. Most people in this position would opt for a joint life first death life insurance plan. Joint life first death is simple in so much as the benefit is paid once in the event of the first person dying. Once this event has taken place the plan ceases and there is no cover for the surviving individual.

An alternative to the joint life first death plans is to take out two single life policies; one for each life assured. In the event of a person dying, the sum assured will pay out just like before but with the additional benefit of the surviving partner's life insurance remaining. This is because their plan is not affected by the death of a partner.

It is quite common that when couples take out plans to insure themselves that should one of them die the other is in a position of having no life cover at all. This commonly leaves them needing to arrange life insurance as they may still have a need to insure their lives for one reason or another. If this event is sometime after taking out the original plan they will probably find that the cost of cover is considerably higher at this point due to many reason not least the fact that the life assured is that much older and more expensive to insure.

Two single life insurance plans can also be of benefit over a joint life first death in the event that the relationship breaks down. It should be noted on this point that 4 in ten marriages do end in divorce and furthermore a higher figure than that of ordinary relationships do end in permanent separation. You do need to be aware that when this sort of thing happens assets and belongings need to be divided and split equally accordingly. Most if not all life insurance plans do not separate at all and as such need cancelling and rewriting which can be an issue again if you are older and have had health issues. Two single life plans on the other hand do not need separating as they are by definition already two independent plans so can be taken away by their respective owners.

A lot of people assume that taking out two plans rather one joint is a lot more expensive and therefore unaffordable. This is far from the truth arranging two separate plans over one joint one can invariably only cost about 10% more on the overall premium. When you factor in the increase benefits already stated above an extra 10% is a small price to pay.

One of the most important benefits still not mentioned is the fact that having two plans could result in double the payout. On a joint life first death plan there will only ever be one life insurance payout once the first life assured dies. As two single life plans are written on each individual if both individuals died then both plans would pay out in full. Again when you factor in this can normally only cost an additional 10% extra in premium payments it makes it very financially beneficial.

So to confirm two plans written on single life basis are better than one joint life first death because, they are flexible in the event of separation, they will payout twice the amount on death of both lives assured for normally only about 10% more in premiums. If one person dies the other is not having to sort out life insurance at higher rates due to age or adverse health.



To arrange your free realtime quotes for your single life insurance plan rather than joint life first death life cover visit life-ins.co.uk

Life Insurance Premiums Reduced - Really Reduced

You pay a lot less for term life insurance today than you would 20 years ago.

A couple of weeks ago I picked up a rate book from one of the finest and largest life insurance companies in the industry. I was just scanning the pages and it occurred to me that the term insurance premiums looked really high. I decided to do a comparison between todays premiums and the premiums of yesteryear. The results were quite surprising.

Although I was very aware that term life insurance premiums had been lowered considerably by insurance companies I was not aware that the difference was so great. The premiums for the year 2007 are one third of those for 1987 in many a case and in some cases as little as a quarter of the 1987 costs. That is a dramatic change. Why is this?

I am not an actuary or a statistician but based on what has occurred in the industry over that time period it would seem that the rise in demand for term insurance has dramatically affected the cost. Everyone wants term insurance now. Some people are aware that they may need to convert to a permanent policy later on but there are those who have no intention of buying any other type of insurance.

I will not debate the correctness of thinking of either side at this point as this article is really intended to emphasize the great reduction in term premium rates. I do think, however, I should touch on which policies are the ones people tend to buy most and why. this is for the benefit of the reader.

The 10 year, 20 year and 30 year term policies tend to be the most purchased...the 20 year term policy being the most outstanding. Round and about age 30 or may be age 35 you find yourself in a pretty solid financial position. You have achieved some measure of success. May be you are already married or, on the other hand, may be you are thinking about it. You want to have children and it occurs to you that you will need some life insurance. You think, why not buy it now while you can still get your policy at a low rate and while you can still qualify. With these plans in mind you find the 20 year or 30 year term policies could fit your need nicely.

If for some reason you had found financial stability a little later in life and your children are in their teens you may feel the 10 year term policy would be ideal.

Regardless of your situation now you will find that later on you need to buy additional life insurance. Your term policies may be about to expire. In any case they will expire at some time. If you are still in good health you can start a new term life insurance policy at a higher premium than that of your original policy.

On the other hand, life insurance companies allow you to convert your term policy within a specific period. If you are still within that period you can convert to a permanent policy. A good policy to use would be a universal life policy. I suggest this because of it's flexibility. You can also convert to whole life but this will mean a higher premium.

All in all there is no reason why anyone who needs life insurance today shouldn't own a policy. The premiums are so low.

Click here to view low cost term life quotes: http://www.lifeinsurancehub.net/lifeinsurance-1.html

Click here for details on term life policies: http://www.lifeinsurancehub.net/term-life-insurance-3.html



For more than 40 years Donald has been known for his extensive knowledge of the life insurance business. He has represented some of the largest and most admired life insurance companies in the United States as well as Canada. His advice is invaluable.
Donald's website is: http://www.lifeinsurancehub.net