
Making the right decision for your future can be difficult. This can be especially true when considering life insurance. Not only is it difficult to anticipate all the changes that will occur over your lifetime, there are so many options to choose from. Understanding the different types of life insurance policies as well as what they have to offer can help you to make the right financial investment.
Term life insurance
Term life insurance provides you with temporary life insurance coverage. The policy coverage can last anywhere from one to thirty years, depending on the policy you choose. In order to obtain benefits under a term life insurance policy, mortality must occur within the coverage period. If mortality does not occur within the coverage period, you may renew your policy or purchase a new one.
The drawback to term life insurance is that rates are determined upon your probability of death at the time the policy is issued. Although this provides lower rates while you are younger and more affordable than whole life insurance initially, policy premiums will be higher upon renewal. So, if you purchase a term life insurance to protect your family while your children are young and then renew again when they are grown, your premium rates will be substantially higher.
Term life insurance policies do not offer a cash savings that can be borrowed against. The policy is intended to only cover you in the event of your death. Although this may not be important for a short term policy, over the course of thirty years, many life changes can occur. This can leave your family unprotected in the event that you should become disabled or unemployed.
Whole life insurance
Whole life insurance policies are designed to provide you with life-long insurance coverage. As a result, the premiums are often higher, in the beginning. However, over your entire lifespan, the premiums for whole life insurance are less than that of term life insurance. This is because the rate for your whole life insurance policy is determined by your age at the time that the policy is initiated. Premiums for whole life insurance never change, as long as the premium is paid without lapse. You also have guaranteed coverage for your entire life, as long as your premiums are paid.
Generally, whole life insurance policies have an age of maturity. This is the date at which your policy will reach its full face value. This date is usually when you reach the age of 100. Many insurance companies provide the option to add what is called a rider that will allow you to continue coverage after the age of 100 with no cost to you, as long as your premiums were paid on time throughout the course of the policy.
Whole life insurance policies offer a cash savings that may be borrowed against while you are still alive. As long as the policy does not terminate due to non-payment, this amount is provided to you, free of tax. It does take time for this cash value to build so you should consider whether or not you have other options before borrowing against your life insurance policy. Additionally, cash value options will not be available to you immediately. Most insurance companies have a time frame that the policy must be active before you can borrow against them.
Whole life insurance policies also offer the option to choose a participating or non-participating policy. Although participation does not affect your type of coverage, it does provide you with dividends that can be collected at a later date. These dividends are based upon the company’s success and are not guaranteed. Participating insurance policies generally have a slightly higher premium than non-participating policies.
Customizing your options
Both term life insurance and whole life insurance policies have the option to place riders on the policy. Riders are any addition or exclusion to your benefit payments. The majority of riders are designed to enhance the face value of your policy. Riders that add to the face value of your policy may be purchased at for an additional premium fee.
Since most policies only cover death by natural causes, a rider can be added to your policy in the event that you should experience an accidental death. This rider option may even double the benefit payment in some cases.
An accelerated death rider allows you to collect some or all of your policy benefits while you are still living, in the event that you should be diagnosed with a terminal illness during the policy coverage. This can help to fund costly medical bills during treatment.
When selecting your life insurance policy, consider more than the initial cost. Consider the overall investment and the benefits that are provided to you and your family. Although you cannot plan for every event that may occur in your lifetime, carefully considering the most probable can help you to provide your family with adequate protection today and in the future.

