Entries Tagged 'Life Insurance' ↓

What does whole life coverage assume?

As you can guess from the name, whole life coverage is designed to keep you protected for your entire life in contrast to term insurance where there’s a specific period of time for this. With most whole life policies the death benefit and premiums are usually constant. Moreover, such policies allow you to accumulate cash value as a portion of the premiums you pay that can be later used as an investment tool. In addition, the cash value is not tax-deductible before withdrawal so you can use it for securing your loans.

What are there any options with such policies?

Yes there are. The most popular options with whole life policies are single-premium, traditional and interest-wise policies. With single-premium policies you can pay for the entire policy in bulk. It is a very convenient option for those who have a large sum of money they want to secure their insurance with. Traditional whole life policies provide a specified minimum rate of return on the accumulated cash value portion of the policy. With interest-wise whole life policies the interest rate is variable just like in adjustable rate mortgage loans. Interest-wise policies also provide you with a greater extent of freedom, allowing you to adjust your death benefit regardless of the premium if the conditions are favorable and you have Continue reading →

One of the results of the recession has been to reinforce the tendency to opt for term insurance as the first life policy. With the disappearance of credit and the pressure on employment, people have decide to switch to prudence. That means paying down the debts and cutting back on discretionary spending. Is this financial puritanism sensible? There are a number of factors to consider. First, a definition. A term policy is life coverage for a fixed number of years. Think of it as like a bet. If you are still alive at the end of the term, the insurance keeps all the premiums, and you and your dependents get nothing. Now, let’s focus on the psychology of the young. Most never bother thinking about insurance or, if they do, it’s a very low priority. Why bother worrying about something that’s unlikely to happen for decades? Statistically, this is a reasonable view. Just as many young people back their health and refuse to buy an individual health plan, the majority see no advantage in life insurance. Life expectancy has been rising steadily over the last 50 years. This calm confidence lasts until they enter a stable relationship. Until children appear. But, by then, the cost of living has gone up and, potentially, what was two incomes has become one. Then, buying term insurance is the cheap option. Continue reading →