Comparing Term And Whole Life Insurance

Written By: Graham McKenzie on September 3, 2010 No Comment

All life insurance policies can be categorized as “term”, “whole life”, or a combination of the two. This means there are many different variations in policies.

Universal life insurance allows you to adjust the premium and policy amount to what you feel you need.

For someone who wants to have control over the financial and investing aspect of their insurance, the variable life insurance policy will be the best option.

So let us find out what is A Term Life Insurance Policy?

The term life insurance policy provides insurance protection for a particular period of time. The term may be extended to 5, 10, or 20 years. When the term ends the policy also expires without any benefits and without any saved or accumulated cash value. But if you die during this term then the death benefit will be paid. The term insurance policy can be said as insurance that is actually designed to expire before you do.?

Although premiums on term life policies tend to be low, they increase significantly as you age. Because of this, a term life policy is usually purchased when you’re young, to cover a long term. While short term renewable policies are initially less expensive, the premiums begin to make them less reasonable after middle age.

Below is an example of premium costs on an annual renewable term insurance policy. The policy in the example has a $200,000 death benefit, and the annual premiums are by age. Remember that these are only examples, to help illustrate how rates can change with age.

$300 / year age 35

Age 50: $900/year

$2,500 / year age 65

What’s a whole life insurance policy?

Whole life is the most common type of life insurance. The policy remains in effect until you die or reach age 100, assuming you pay the scheduled premium. Whole life insurance is also known as ‘ordinary life’ or ‘permanent’ insurance. They feature level premiums, level face amounts, guaranteed values, and a high degree of safety. Whole life insurance has a guaranteed cash value, through which a living benefit is built. Because of this, the owner can access the cash for emergencies, or use it as a supplement to retirement income if necessary.

This ability to access the cash accrued by a whole life policy makes it an important savings instrument. Whole life policies are often used for long-term financial planning. Another very positive aspect of whole life insurance is the level premiums: they don’t change, so you’ll always know how much your policy is going to cost. Level premiums provide peace of mind and make budgeting easier.

The risk factor in this policy is entirely different from the auto policy. In the auto policy the insurance company hopes that the driver will never encounter an accident and will be safe. But on the hand the when issuing a whole life insurance policy, the company is sure that the policy will be claimed one day.

In these days it has become very easy and convenient to compare and shop for policies from different companies through the net. You can be sure that you get the best deal out of the market rates, which will meet your needs. It is also very important to check up with the BBB and check how these different companies are rated. You must have a careful eye for the financial standing of the insurance companies you are about to sign up for the policies. When you get thorough of all the information you need, you can compare and select the best whole life insurance policy online.

Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator a leading South African Life Insurance and Life Cover portal. For more information on the different types of life insurance visit our website.