Learning About Life Insurance Is Easy With These Tips
Are you buying life insurance for the first time? You probably don't even know where to start. It's no secret that purchasing life insurance for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. Below are some tips that can help to make getting a new life insurance policy a bit smoother.
Be sure to read over all of the information about the life insurance plan that your company offers. You may find that it will not be enough. You may want to invest in an additional policy to be sure that your family is going to have enough money in the event of your passing.
If you are looking to purchase a life insurance policy and you are a smoker, try to quit. This is because most life insurance companies will not provide insurance to a smoker, as they are more at risk to getting lung cancer and other smoking-related conditions. Companies that will provide insurance to a smoker will usually charge higher premium rates.
Before purchasing life insurance, you must understand that insurance is for protection purposes only, which does not include investing. Term insurance gives you protection only, with no savings. Whole life and universal policies offer savings, but they are a lot more expensive and you would be better off using the cost savings to invest in something else.
When getting life insurance, you will need to find out how much the premiums are. All insurance policies have different premiums and you need to be certain that you will be able to afford the coverage. If you lapse on payment for the policy and someone passes away, you could find that the coverage you were counting on is not available because of the lapse.
When determining how much life insurance coverage you need, don't just think about your mortgage payment and regular monthly bills. If you have children, they'll need financial assistance for college in the future. Although it's not pleasant, consider worst-case scenarios. Should you unexpectedly die in the near future, how much debt will you leave behind? Make sure your policy covers your outstanding debts, or the money you intended to be used for paying off the mortgage for your spouse may end up being used to pay off your creditors instead. You also want to ensure that your funeral expenses and any estate taxes and legal costs are covered.
To save some money on life insurance, pay your premiums one time a year. Many life insurance companies will charge you a little less because there usually is some type of small fee to receive the monthly bills. Just make sure you only do this if you can afford it.
When a broker says they know everything, when it comes to selling you a policy, you want to make sure you are a little wary of this. It may seem a bit unrealistic, but there are many brokers in this field that act smug and intelligent, while only out to take your money.
Even after you've found a policy that you feel you love, you should still make sure to compare multiple policies to see if you can find a better deal on any other life insurance package. You never know; you might find the same package for 20% less per month. That would be a huge difference in the long-term.
Consider your current health when purchasing a life insurance policy. It is less expensive to purchase life insurance at a younger age and when in good health than later in life. Often, even if you experience health problems later, your life insurance is not impacted if it has already been in place. Trying to buy a policy after a health problem can be much more expensive, if not impossible.
Establish an exercise program before you purchase life insurance. The better health you are in, the lower your risk class will be. If your weight is within reasonable limits, you do not smoke and your blood pressure is not too high, you could save a substantial amount of money over the course of your policy.
If you need a lot of coverage for a smaller premium, you will probably benefit most from a term life insurance plan. This plan will not build up equity, but will pay out a higher death benefit. They do have an ending date though, thus the title "term life insurance." Make sure you have other plans in place for when this coverage runs out.
With a term policy, check for renewal guarantees. When buying a term life insurance policy, look for one that offers a renewal guarantee. This gives you the opportunity to begin a new term after the current policy ends. You will have to pay a greater premium according to your age, but you won't have to undergo a new medical examination.
As you have seen, buying life insurance is not as scary as it may appear at first. Just think of all of the benefits it has and all of the expenses it can take care of, along with all of the money it can save you in the longrun.