Archive for November 8th, 2008

Why Buy Life Insurance?

Saturday, November 8th, 2008

Love. Yes, that’s right. Love for your spouse, children, family, or even your school. This insurance provides financial protection for your family and friends when you die. There are basically two types of life insurance - Term and Permanent.

Term life insurance provides insurance for a specific amount of time. Like, for one year. You can usually renew annually, and this is called “Annual Renewal Term”. This works until about age 80. Level Term offers you a level premium for a fixed amount of years. You lock in a rate for 20 years. Then you have to get a new rate or new policy.

Permanent Insurance is also called whole life, universal life, etc. This form of life insurance also has a built in savings plan. You get a death benefit with a cash value savings plan attached. Of course, this plan is more expensive, but allows for some financial latitude.

You may be wondering why you would need insurance and what could you do with the proceeds if your spouse or loved one died. Here are some ideas that would help with the financial loss.

1. Income. Even if your spouse works, loosing one salary could be devastating.

2. Housing. The money could be used for rent or payoff the mortgage. Your spouse may not want to stay in the house, but it will give some options for them.

3. Debt. Reducing debt due to the loss can help the surviving spouse continue to be financially solvent. This will help your spouse survive on one income.

4. Pay Expenses. Funeral and hospital bills can be tremendous. The average funeral is $6,000.

5. Social Security. Its there, but it takes a while for it to kick in so to speak. Better cover yourself until that first check arrives.

6. Education. Think about the high costs of education and the burden that would be with only one income. Account for an educational nest egg to give your kids a head start.

7. Charity. If you don’t have anyone, this would be a good option. Also, you can get a tax deduction for the rest of your estate if you give some money away. In other words, give a chunk away and you might be able to keep some assets to give to your family.

8. Taxes. Two things certain. Death and Taxes. You may have to pay taxes on your 401k and other assets even though you are dead. If you don’t get these assets before you die, then the person receiving the benefit must pay the tax.

These last two items are a bit tricky and would require expert assistance from a tax attorney or estate attorney.

Think about your family and decide what type of life insurance would protect them the best. Let me know if you can think of other helpful information on what to do with life insurance proceeds.

Term Life Insurance, what Is It All About?

Saturday, November 8th, 2008

What is term life insurance? You have an interest in buying term life insurance, that is why you are reading this article, and you want to know how it really works. Right? Well, there are many types of term life insurance and I am going to give you a brief explanation as to how each one works.

Decreasing Term Life Insurance

Decreasing term life insurance is very popular with home owners and mortgage companies. The homeowners want to know that the mortgage is paid off if they should prematurely die, and the mortgage company want to be assured that they are repaid the money loaned to the homeowner. The face amount of these policies decrease in a uniformed manner each year as the balance owed on the mortgage decreases, and the premium remains level. This is very inexpensive life insurance.

Increasing Premium Term Life Insurance

This is initially the cheapest term life insurance you can buy. The death benefit remains level for the duration, however, the premiums increase every year and as a result this may turn out to be the most expensive term life insurance you can buy. If you should purchase this policy it would be wise to convert to a level plan as quickly as possible.

5 Year Level Term Insurance

The face amount of this policy remains level for the entire 5 year period and so does the premium. Upon death the face amount is paid either in one lump sum or in the form of an income. If you have a short term need for life insurance, like covering a bank loan, then this may be the plan for you.

10 Year Term Life Insurance

Like the 5 year term life insurance policy, the ten year term life policy can be used to cover a bank loan, but it can do considerably more. It can be used for family protection and a myriad of other needs. The face amount of the policy remains level for the duration and so does the premium. Some companies allow you to continue the policy after 10 years with an increase in premium.

20 Year Term Life Insurance

The 20 year term life insurance policy is probably the most popular of term life policies. The death benefit remains level for the duration and in some cases so does the premium. With some companies, however, the premiums increase after the first 10 years to reflect the cost of the additional risk to which the insurance company is exposed as the insured gets older. All in all, the 20 tear term life insurance policy is fairly inexpensive and does the job it is intended to do.

Unlike whole life insurance, universal life insurance or variable life insurance, term life insurance does not have cash values or earn dividends. There is a fairly new type of term life insurance policy, however, called a return of premium policy which returns all your premiums at the end of the term period, if you do not die. The premiums are so high it may not be worth your while to buy this type of term policy.