Practical Tips When Picking Your Life Insurance Policy
Article writer-Magnusson McQueen
Life insurance can be one of the most important things that you can do to care for your family. You may always take care of your family, but a life insurance policy can take care of them if something happens to you. This article can help you understand the types of life insurance that are available to you.
Understand permanent life insurance cost of life insurance available before making a decision on which to purchase. Most insurance policies focus on Term Life or Whole Life and knowing the difference is key. Bear in mind that with both of these types of policy, they can be tailored to your specific needs and situations. Do your homework.
There will come a time in your life when, if you've been lucky enough to get to that point, you will want to consider long-term care insurance. You should definitely consider it once you hit your fifties. If you become too ill or infirm to continue your current lifestyle, you will want to have a Plan B, so that you can rest assured your care needs will be covered no matter what life throws your way.
When purchasing a life insurance policy it is vitally important that you are completely 100% honest when answering questions about past medical history and other items raised such as drug use. An insurance claim can be declined if it is ever determined that the initial information provided was not true.
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.
Most life insurance companies require you to take a medical exam before they give you coverage. They look at blood pressure, cholesterol levels, an EKG of your heart rate activity, and many other indicators that reveal the presence of any type of disease or risk factors. You can perform better on the test, even put yourself into a higher rate class, by eating low-fat foods for the two days before your test. Drink extra water to maintain hydration, and avoid alcohol for three to four days ahead of the test. Also, make sure you get plenty of sleep for the week leading up to the exam.
It is important to know that you have 30 days to look at and understand your life insurance. This way, if you decide that this is not the right plan for you, you are able to cancel your policy and most of the time, you can even get your premium back.
Remember that endowment life insurance policies are the policy option you should go with if you want an investment option. These policies will charge you a higher premium and put some of that money into an investment fund. You can select of period 10, 20 or 30 years and then have that investment paid out to your beneficiaries.
Sometimes people with life insurance (whole-life, not term) feel like updating or changing their policies after a few years, especially when a company introduces a better policy. This is why it's important to think first before getting into a commitment, because changing now could cost you your premium payments and policy. So you should avoid this.
Make sure you pay your life insurance premium payments on time. While most companies allow a grace period for late payments, consistent late payments can reduce your available cash value or result in policy cancellation. Depending on your age and health, getting a policy reinstated or finding a new one could be much more expensive than your original policy.
Decide which of the four main life insurance types is right for you. You have a whole life policy, a term life policy, variable universal life, or universal life policies to chose from. Each has their own potential strengths and weaknesses. Know which one best suits your needs before going to make a purchase.
What is the right amount of life insurance for you? First, you should ask yourself whether or not you absolutely need to pay for a policy. If you have no children and are single, then you're probably going to say no. Many financial advisers encourage you to take out a policy that pays between five and ten times your average annual salary.
Getting life insurance is not just for rich people. In fact, it is probably more important for those with low to medium incomes than for those in higher tax brackets. Final expenses and living costs won't go away with the death of a family member. You need coverage to make sure these costs are covered.
You should forget about cliches regarding life insurance. Life insurance is the butt of many jokes about greedy relatives waiting for an elderly person to die so that they can get insurance money. You should see life insurance as a way to help your relatives and not burden them any further with the expenses related to your death or medical condition.
More men subscribe to life insurance than women. But women can benefit from life insurance too. If you are an active woman with a job, subscribe to life insurance so that your family can keep their standards of living. If preneed funeral planning is the primary source of income for your family, you should definitely get life insurance.
Make sure your loved ones are taken care of while your around, and keep them cared for once you leave them. Find a policy that can definitely financially support your loved ones so they can live comfortably. It is much easier for surviving family members to cope with their loss when they know they have been cared for financially.
These benefits allow the beneficiary to receive a significant part of the total payout before the insured person dies from the terminal illness. This option is appropriate in cases where a caretaker will need to access the funds on behalf of the insured person during the final phases of the illness to pay for needed care.
Because you are providing for your dependents in case of tragedy, you owe it to your family to do your research when you buy life insurance. Life insurance only pays out in tragic situations. You can help ameliorate the pain by learning all you can about life insurance and ensuring that your beneficiaries feel satisfied by the policies you select.
