Life insurance is often an arrangement between an individual insurance provider and an individual insurer, in which the insurer promises to cover a designated beneficiary an amount of cash upon the death of that insured individual. Depending on the agreement, other events like critical illness or terminal disease may also trigger coverage. Life insurance does not pay a dividend and does not include beneficiaries. This article briefly covers the basics of life insurance.
The two primary types of life insurance are term and permanent life insurance policies. Term insurance provides coverage only for a specified period, and as the name suggests, it is less expensive over that period. It does not provide any flexibility and there are usually no additional benefits. This type of policy is appropriate for people who are young and in good health until they reach middle age or the age of 65. However, in some cases, permanent life insurance policies may be necessary.
A permanent life insurance policy provides coverage for a definite period. These may be from one year to thirty years, but the coverage is guaranteed for the duration. There is also a form of variable universal life insurance (VULIP), also called a universal or variable plan. In a VULIP, the cash value of the account is not fixed, but it may grow and decrease according to certain criteria set by the insurer. Both term and permanent policies use the same form of premium, which is determined by charging a rate per annum.
As with all matters in life, there are advantages and disadvantages. One of these is how it affects estate planning. Life insurance companies can select who among their policyholders will get the most benefit and who will get less. They can also select a level of income replacement that will make the insured pay more or less. This is called the income replacement ratio.
If you are a single person without dependents, then you will likely qualify for a whole life insurance policy. Under this type, you pay both premiums and taxes. You have the choice of either making regular payments into the policy or taking all your future paychecks as a loan against your policy. As with term life insurance coverage, your beneficiaries will receive payment when you die, but your premiums will be applied to this amount, leaving no money left over for your dependents.
If you have one or more dependent children, then a permanent life policy will provide them with most if not all of the funds you would leave to them if you were not dead. The death benefit provided by a whole life policy is equal to the sum of the face value of all premium payments, less any accumulated dividends. This does not include the value of any interest on the borrowed funds. Any remaining assets are used to pay your final expenses and taxes, and your beneficiaries receive the final expenses, along with your interest. Know more about Llama Life here.
Universal life insurance is similar to whole life insurance, except that it has an adjustable premium. Unlike whole life insurance, your premium payments can never increase. Your benefit amount is fixed at the time of your death; your final expense and taxes are deferred until such time as you decide to pay these amounts. Any money remaining after paying these amounts is paid to your beneficiary. Unlike whole life insurance, there is usually no flexibility to adjust the benefit amount, which is why universal life insurance provides coverage for only certain periods of time.
You can learn more about term life insurance policies and other types of coverage by obtaining a free life insurance quote online. Term life insurance quotes can help you determine the kind of coverage you need and the amount you will need to purchase to provide financial protection for your family’s needs in the event of your death. This is especially important if you have dependents that you want to leave a legacy to. There are many different policies available to choose from and getting life insurance quotes online can help you make an informed decision.