Term Life Insurance Explained

Term life insurance does not build any kind of cash value, which makes it an original type of life insurance and considered pure insurance protection. Unlike whole life insurance, term life insurance is only temporary and only covers a specific term, or a specific period of time in a person's life. Benefits will go to a beneficiary only if the insured person dies during that specific window of time.

Term life insurance is usually the cheapest way for people to purchase a death benefit package on a per dollar basis. The reason for this is because the term will expire and the insurer will not have to pay out.

It is recommended that people should purchase term life insurance with the Theory of Decreasing responsibility in mind. The Decreasing responsibility theory is provided that the insured person or persons realizes and understands that any and all financial responsibilities are only temporary and that they should purchase insurance to compensate for these responsibilities.

The easiest and simplest way to purchase term life insurance is on an annual basis. The premium to be paid is only the expected probability of the person dying within that period plus a few extra fees, such as a cost and profit component. Because insurers are able to choose whom they decide to ensure, the probability of someone they choose to insure dying within the next year is extremely low, most people opt not to purchase one-year terms. An annual policy is not very cost-effective either. Many people choose to go with annual renewable terms (ART). In ART, a premium is paid for the coverage of one year and then is guaranteed to be continued each for so an X number of years, which could be anywhere from ten to fifteen to twenty years or more, whatever the insured person decides on. Even though this direction will cause the insured to pay a higher premium, they are more likely to have the benefits paid.

A level term is a very popular form of term life insurance that is a renewable annual term with a constant premium for an X number of years. The years in a term are usually 10, 15, 20, and 30 years. A level term charges a higher premium for a longer amount of time simply because as people get older they are more expensive to ensure, and their age is averaged into the equation for the premium.

Even though they are more likely to be paid the benefits in the end, many people are uncomfortable with regular life insurance for one reason or another. For those types of people, term life insurance is an excellent choice. It gives people the option of having life insurance for a certain period and can be renewed annually or in larger periods.

Term Insurance vs. Whole life or Permanent Insurance - A Car Analogy

Should I lease a car or buy it?

Think of a term life insurance policy as leasing a car. When you lease a car you get the benefits of using the car, but when you stop paying you don't have a car anymore. As with term insurance as long as you pay your premiums you get the benefit of the term life insurance policy, but when you stop paying, you no longer have any coverage.

Whole life or "permanent policies" are designed to build up a cash value. So similar to buying a car you have an asset that you can keep. Unlike a car, hopefully this asset will grow in value. Whole life, Universal life and Variable Universal life are all different types of permanent insurance. Permanent insurance, most of the time, is meant to keep until you die or as a saving vehicle.

The way the policy grows in value gives you the different names of insurance such as, Whole Life, Universal Life, and Variable Universal Life. That leads to the understanding of the different types of permanent policies.

" Whole Life- Is an insurance policy where premium payments are usually the same throughout the life of the policy, as is the death benefit. You usually need to pay the premiums as long as the policy is in force.

" Universal Life - Is an insurance policy where premium payments may be changed and the death benefit can also be changed by the owner. Usually if the death benefit is being raised you will have to show some evidence of insurability (medical information) or other information requested. Your policy grows at a stated interest rate which changes every so often.

" Variable Universal Life - Is an insurance policy where premium payments may be changed and the death benefit can also be changed by the owner. Usually if the death benefit is being raised you will have to show some evidence of insurability (medical information) or other information requested. Your policy grows at the rate of your investment choice you choose. Since you may invest in market instruments similar but not exactly like mutual funds. Your policy can lose value causing larger premium payments than expected.

Take a step back and think about it from the insurance company's point of view, its easier to understand the difference. A portion of the cash value that builds in the insurance contract will pay for the "cost of insurance".

Whole life- The insurance company is taking most of the risk. They are paying a death benefit to you no matter what happens to the cash value in the account. As long as you make your payments the insurance company has to pay your death benefit. This may be the most expensive.

Universal life - The insurance company is taking some risk. The policy grows give the current interest rate it pays. At times you are only able to earn low interest rates. You may need to make up more payments to keep your policy.

Variable Universal life - The insurance company has taken the least amount of risk. In the Variable policy the rate of return is variable, meaning you don't know how fast your policy will grow or shrink. This type of policy is most likely used for someone who is younger and can ride out the volatility of their portfolio. Since you take on the most risk in this type of policy it usually has the smallest premiums.

No Load Term Life Insurance

Have you ever heard the term load and no load in the financial service industry? The loading of an insurance product usually always involves the agent’s commission and the company’s expenses. Some policies have what they call front end loads and back end loads. These loads are normally associated with permanent insurance policies. The cost of doing business is all wrapped up in the loading of a policy. No load term life insurance is probably the least expensive form of life insurance in the market. You often wonder what makes one company so much cheaper than the other and it usually has to do with the type of goods and services provided. Those goods and services are what make up the loading aspect of the life insurance policy. The no load term life insurance policy usually indicates that you are primarily purchasing direct from the insurance company and with little or no professional advice or opinion.

The life insurance professional is still very important to a great number of people. Buying life insurance direct from a company without an agent may be less expensive but it also may leave you wanting when it comes to professional counseling and service. Term life insurance is very simple and so the purchase of term life insurance may be something that you can handle on your own without a professional. These are individual choices and preferences that each of us must decide upon before we buy life insurance.

Term life insurance is inexpensive to begin with and so researching the market place for a no load product may or may not have a major affect on the premium. Ask about loading when you shop for term life insurance. You may be surprised at what you learn about the insurance companies and how they come up with their rates. It will also help you when you inevitably begin to shop for permanent life insurance.

Living Wills Are An Important Part Of Life

If you are a young couple busy with young children with good lives and jobs, you are certainly not ready to think of your lives ending. But you do need to think about it.

Case in point - Terry Schiavo. She was just 26 years old when cardiac arrest put her in a persistent vegative state. The court battle over whether she'd want to live or die drove home the message that end of life issues know no age boundaries.

You need to talk about the issues. The problem is that if something should happen, emotions could take over and lead to something you may not have wanted if it isn't in writing.

Why A Living Will Is Important

That's exactly why a Living Will is something every adult should have. The definitive cases on the issue - Karen Ann Quinlan, Nancy Cruzan and Terry Schiavo all involved women in their twenties.

If you are not able to talk to yourself, the Living Will speaks for you.

Legally, it's called a natural death declaration. It allows you to define what you consider a terminal condition and what you consider to be life sustaining measures, for example, CPR, antbiotics, and food and water.

Don't Hide The Living Will

Once you create your Living Will, don't put in a drawer. Talk to family members, give copies to all your doctors , friends and lawyer and take it with you on hospital visits. The more people who have a copy, the more effective it will be and the more likely it will be honoured.

You need to have this declaration; you hope you never need it, but it's good to know it's there. If something should happen, it won't be a struggle between families.

A Living Will should also include a durable power of attorney for health care. It designates a specific person to make medical decisions for you if you can't make them yourself.