Term Life Insurance: Is It Right For You?

Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Monday 1 March 2010 4:59 am

If you’ve spent any time at all watching television recently, you’ve probably seen commercials advertising low-cost life insurance with guaranteed coverage that anyone can afford. And, if you’re like many people, those commercials do get you thinking about the fact that you don’t have life insurance yet, but you continue to procrastinate. (After all, you’re going to live forever, right?) Or, maybe you think you can’t afford the premiums or that you won’t qualify for the rates advertised because of a medical condition, so you put off checking into your options.

The truth of the matter is that you DO need life insurance, and there really is affordable coverage out there to meet your needs. There are two main types of life insurance, whole life and term life. The less expensive of the two is term life insurance.

What is Term Life Insurance?
When you buy term life insurance, you’re purchasing a policy that will provide protection for a certain period of time. A ‘death benefit’ is paid only if the person insured dies during the term of the coverage. Most insurance companies have set coverage period lengths you can choose from. These coverage periods could be as little as one year at a time, but most often are offered in five or ten-year increments.

As the policyholder, you get to decide who will receive the benefit payment in the event of your death. You should know, though, that some states and insurance companies have requirements concerning who can or must be designated as the beneficiary. For example, certain states require that your spouse be the beneficiary if you’re married, and some insurance companies will not allow you to name your pet as the beneficiary (too bad for Fluffy, you won’t be setting her up with a golden doghouse and steaks for life!). However, within limits, you can leave the benefit to anyone you like or to your estate to be divided up according to your will.

The biggest downfall of term life insurance is that you have to die before your family gets anything out of it, because the benefit is only payable when the policyholder dies. The policy itself has no cash value, and you can’t borrow against it like you can with whole life policies. Another negative aspect of term life insurance is that it becomes more expensive as you get older. And, speaking of age, you don’t have the right to continue the policy regardless of your age the way you can with whole life.

You might be familiar with term life as a benefit that employers offer to their employees, but that doesn’t mean you can’t purchase an individual policy for yourself. On the contrary, many insurance companies offer individual term life coverage. The only trick is to determine what type of term life insurance is best for you.

What Kinds of Term Life Insurance are Available?
There are three different kinds of term life insurance. Each of them has unique aspects that make them the best choice for certain situations. The three types of term life are:

Depreciating Term Life: Depreciating term is used as a means to cover a mortgage loan in the event that someone dies prematurely. The amount of the benefit goes down, or depreciates, as the amount owed on the mortgage is paid off (a slow and painful process…). This is an excellent option if you’re concerned about your spouse’s ability to pay the mortgage payment after your death. The popularity of these plans has waned because level term life policies are generally cheaper.

Level Term Life: Level term policies are available in increments from five to twenty years. These policies are a good choice for anyone who needs relatively cheap coverage for a longer period of time than just a few years. The cost of the policy will be a bit more expensive than annual renewable policies for the first few years, but will then stay level for the term of the policy. Most insurance companies offer policies that once issued, premiums remain level regardless of the insured’s health status.

Annual Renewable Life: Annual renewable life policies must be renewed every year, but they’re a good, inexpensive option if you just need a few years worth of coverage to cover a short-term expense, such as college tuition for a child (which is only slightly less painful than paying the mortgage!).

Who Should Purchase Term Life Insurance?
Term life insurance is an excellent option for anyone who simply cannot afford the higher premiums required by whole life insurance.

One popular use of term life is to help young families to cover expenses if one of the parents passes away. Couples who are just starting out and have young children may be unable to afford expensive whole life policies, but it’s not wise to leave one spouse without a means of covering financial burdens if the other should die?especially in today’s two-income world. The benefit can help the spouse to pay the mortgage or care for the children on his or her own.

Another good reason to purchase term life is to cover your business debts. If you’re the owner of a small business and have taken out a business loan, you may want to consider purchasing a term life policy to pay that loan in case you die.

What Options Should You Look For?
Just like the car sitting in your driveway, life insurance policies come with options (and just like the options in your car, these options may raise the price of the policy). Term life options that may be available include:

Conversion: This option allows you to convert the term life policy to a whole life policy at the end of the policy’s term.

Automatic Renewal: Some companies offer an automatic renewal of the policy without requiring a medical examination.

Premium Waiver: Your insurance company may allow you to waive, or not pay, the premiums if you become disabled. The policy remains in effect just as if you were paying timely premiums.

Accidental Death Coverage: If your death is the result of an accident, the benefit paid increases, and may even double.

Regardless of your situation, there is a life insurance coverage out there for you. Take the time to request quotes and speak with insurance professionals who will be able to answer your questions. The time you spend finding a policy that meets your needs could save someone you love a lot of hassle and worry when you die.

Gary Stuart launched his career in insurance in the mid eighties. With only a telephone book and a pen and pad, he began building his agency one ‘cold call’ at a time. His specialties were group health, disability, whole life, term life insurance and more. At the start of the new millennium, Gary translated his years of experience into developing a web site that explores nearly every aspect of health and life insurance. Gary recognizes the importance of educating his customers before they make that all important insurance purchase. You can visit his site anytime at: http://www.accuterm.com

Long Term Life Insurance ? Why Get It?

Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Monday 1 March 2010 12:59 am

Long Term Life Insurance is term life insurance that is taken out for an extended period of time. Most term life insurance tends to be for a period of between one and seven years, but some people prefer a longer term cover. Insurance companies have responded to this demand by offering a new range of products that fall somewhere between whole life insurance and traditional term insurance.

Normally when people want long term cover, they purchase whole life insurance, which covers them for the duration of their life, and also builds a cash value. However, if you do not wish to pay the extra premiums that are associated with the investment, then perhaps long term insurance rather than whole insurance may be the way for you to go.

These policies may be referred to as ?Permanent Life? policies, and can be set up so that they are payable on demise, or at a certain age. Long term life insurance really blurs the line between whole life and term life insurance, with policies often borrowing from both structures to offer the customer even more flexibility. If you do not wish to have an accruing cash value, then you don’t have to. You can also stipulate whether you want the beneficiary to receive a lump sum payment, or monthly payments to boost income.

Unlike shorter term policies, long term life insurance does tend to be initially more expensive, though over the length of the term it may prove more cost effective than short term life insurance policies. Talking to your preferred insurance provider will give you a good idea of the options that are available out there. Then you can shop around and compare policies online, which will give you an even better idea of your options. The market is booming, so if you are looking for more flexibility in your life insurance, now is the time to look.

View our Recommended Life Insurance Company This site is simple and easy to fill out a quote and has a lot of great info about Home Insurance and Affordable Health Insurance

Insurance: The Common Insurance Points

Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Sunday 28 February 2010 8:59 pm

Most people will be familiar with insurance in some form or another. We all have taken out home insurance, car insurance or credit insurance among others. Insurance contracts are long and complex documents with a lot of small print. Sometimes even a lawyer would get lost in the complexities involved in them. However, there are a few features that all insurance contracts must have in common.

  • All insurance contracts will cover a chance event that may or may not occur. This is the risk you are insuring against. The event may be a fire in your home, a car accident, medical costs or virtually any other event. The sole exception to this is life insurance, which covers your death. This is an event that is bound to occur, however, it is the timing of death that is uncertain here.

  • There must be some quantifiable economic loss. Insurers will take on risks, but they must be able to quantify and predict the loss involved. The insurance company must be able to know roughly what kind of loss will be involved should the event occur. The loss must be quantifiable in monetary terms. For example, you may be able to insure yourself for medical expenses or a new car, but not for the sadness you experience as a result of an accident.

  • The loss must be definite. Again, insurers must know what kind of financial risks they are taking one; otherwise they will not be able to set the price of the premium.

  • The loss must be significant. The financial cost of the insured risk must justify the administrative costs of the insurance contract. Suppose you want to insure a racehorse. Someone will come from the insurance company, assess the value of the horse, write up a contract stating what?s covered and what conditions you must meet, calculate the premium and issue the contract. This will be worth all the effort for a valuable racehorse. However if you wanted to insure your goldfish, it would be difficult to justify the effort involved in setting up the contract.

  • The loss must not be catastrophic. What is catastrophic will depend on the size of the insurer and the assets they have available. But the insurance will not be worth anything if the loss is more than the insurer could afford. For example, insuring against an earthquake will often be impossible as the losses, should the event occur, would be impossible for the insurance company to ever pay out.
  • Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the insurance site http://www.insure121.com/ where you will find information, news and links to the leading providers of insurance in the UK. If you found this article interesting you may find more articles of the same nature in the insurance guide located on site.

    My Auto Insurance Premiums Decrease Alot Do You Want To Know Why?

    Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Sunday 28 February 2010 4:59 pm

    If you think that you have already taken advantages of each discount in the market and can keep your auto insurance premium at the lowest level. You are probably wrong as auto insurance companies are providing more ways to make your auto cost even lower than before. In fact, almost all insurance company offer you attractive discounts if you did not have any accidents or tickets in the last 3-5 years or own a car that is equipped with air bags, etc. Also, some companies will give you some bonus rewards for your professional skill and for your age as well.

    As for 21st Century Group, it found that drivers with degrees in engineering are lower risks when comparing with other drivers. The chance for them to be fined is somehow much lower than others. It means that they can take pretty good care of their automobiles. Hence, if you have a bachelor degree in engineering or other science-related areas like biochemistry or mechanical engineering, you are likely to get a great discount on auto insurance premium. For instance, you can get a cheaper quote on your auto insurance premium if you purchase from them.

    Basically, 21st Century provides auto insurance in Arizona, California and Washington, etc. It also offers a discount to engineering experts in all of those states. Therefore, if you are a scientist or an engineering expert, you can then easily save around 10% to 30%.

    Apart from that, 21st Century also provides teachers a break on auto insurance premiums, but only if you are qualified by the State of California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, or if you are a full-time college teacher or university professor. The amount you can save is around 10% to 30% of the base rate of the company.

    In short, due to high competition in the auto insurance market, all you need to do is to look around a little bit for good deals like above mentioned. Moreover, even if you might not be a scientist, teacher, engineer, you can still lower your auto premiums by being a good driver, having good driving record as well as insuring more than one car. By doing these, you can then easily lower your auto insurance premiums.

    Rashme Wong is a successful Internet Marketer and publisher of Top Auto Insurance Providers. A website that specializes in providing auto insurance advice to include easy ways to get more information on 21st century auto insurance review that you can search and learn from the comfort of your home.

    Homeowners Insurance Discounts: The Best Methods Of Finding Them

    Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Sunday 28 February 2010 12:59 pm

    There is no way around needing Homeowners insurance if you are about to embark on the journey of purchasing a home. Depending on the size of the home, Homeowners insurance can cost as little as $400 a year to as much as $2000 a year, if not more in some parts of the country. The amount of Homeowners insurance you receive will also be determined by the value of the interior property, including the upkeep of remodeling on the home, as well as whether your policy will include valuable electronics and jewelry.

    Once you have determined what type of policy you would like to implement, you can begin discussing yearly and monthly costs with insurance agents. One thing to keep in mind while you are searching for Homeowners insurance is that the rates won?t vary that much between each company, but there are small ways to save a few dollars to a few hundred dollars, simply by finding some Homeowners insurance discounts that are available.

    One of the easiest ways to receive a discount on Homeowners insurance is to install a home security system, and not the type that barks and growls. Many insurance companies are actually paired up with security companies like ADT or Brink?s and will give you a discount for using that insurance company and that security company as well.

    Even if you get Homeowners insurance and decide to go back later and install a security system, don?t forget to go back and call your Homeowners insurance company once the system is installed so that you can receive a discount on your insurance. Further discounts may be given for motion sensors or even for video surveillance cameras installed on the home.

    Another great way to receive a small discount on your Homeowners insurance is through fire and carbon monoxide detectors and fire resistant doors, brick and even walls. Remember that not all companies will offer the same discount for fire resistance and fire protection, so it is best to do research on how much of a discount can be received before diving in to remodeling the entire house for fire resistance.

    Keeping up with newer appliances is another excellent way to help receive a Homeowners insurance discount. Older appliances are more likely to develop bad electrical connections, which can make the home susceptible to fire.

    The first place to begin updating appliances is in the kitchen because kitchens are on the top of the list for places where fires begin. Many other insurance companies will offer a discount for new plumbing and electrical systems, or simply for a home that is less than ten years old altogether.

    While some homeowners aren?t willing to consider a higher insurance deductible, or the price they will pay before the insurance will begin paying for loss or damages, asking for price quotes with higher deductibles is an excellent way to receive a discount on your insurance.

    Most Homeowners insurance companies start out with a minimum deductible of $250 to $500 dollars, but try raising the deductible by $250 and see how much this will save you a year. Often times, this can make a difference of nearly $100-$150 a year on the total insurance bill.

    Remember, though, that if you choose this route, you may end up paying more than that $150 savings a year if something happens to your home and you have to pay the higher deductible. Simply weight the negatives and positives and decide if a higher deductible is right for you.

    The final sure fire way to receive a Homeowners insurance benefit is to belong to a club or certain group. This could simply mean being in the 65 and older club and receiving a senior citizens discount, or it could also mean already being a member of the bank where you are looking to purchase Homeowners insurance. Some insurance companies also give a discount if you plan on having both your car insurance and Homeowners insurance with that company.

    Before settling for the first set of numbers thrown at you by the insurance company, be sure to ask about these discounts and make your assets work for you when shopping for Homeowners insurance.

    Credit: Ian W Anderson of homeownersinsurance.cc, the homeowners insurance information site. For more homeowners insurance information and articles like this one visit: Homeowners Insurance

    Travel Arrangements And Insurance

    Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Sunday 28 February 2010 8:59 am

    There are many different types of traveller. There are business men and women who are flying from one city to another for brief meetings, then there are families taking a two week holiday to the sun with young children, then there are students or gap year travellers who will be backpacking around exotic locations on extremely low budgets. There are really about as many different types of traveller as there are different types of person.

    There are many different approaches you can take to booking your travel arrangements. Your main priority may be convenience, for example if you have a meeting near the airport you will need airport accommodation and little else, however, if you are travelling for pleasure, you are likely to have far less restrictions and will be willing to consider all types of arrangements. You can have these arranged for you by a travel agent or you could do it for yourself online. Or alternatively, you may wish to simply travel to a city or country with absolutely no plans and just see what happens when you get there.

    On of the things you should always travel with is proper health and travel insurance. Obviously your requirements will again vary depending on what kind of travel you are undertaking. If you are travelling for business, full travel insurance that will provide you with alternative flights if yours is cancelled or delayed will be important. For most holiday travellers, this may not be quite as important. If you are travelling with children you may wish to consider it, but otherwise you may be quite flexible and tolerant if delays do occur. But you may be more worried about your luggage and belongings and wish to have good coverage for loss or damage to your property. All these options are available today with the various travel insurance companies that are operating in the market.

    Generally speaking, you will always need health insurance when you travel. You cannot afford to take the risk that an accident or serious injury occurs and you do not have proper coverage. There are many parts of the word where free national health insurance is not provided and if you do require medical treatment, it will only be provided if you can pay for it. Particularly if you are travelling with children, you should always arrange adequate travel insurance with medical coverage. This is simply a risk that you do not want to be bearing yourself especially when the cost of travel insurance is so affordable.

    Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the insurance site http://www.insure121.com/ where you will find information, news and links to the leading providers of travel insurance in the UK.

    Whole Life Insurance Explanation

    Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Sunday 28 February 2010 4:59 am

    Life is full of uncertainty. So it?s important that your beloved ones remain secured and financially supported even after the event of your death. So its important to know which life insurance policy will help to keep your family financially secured in future. Whole life insurance policy could be the best answer.

    However, it?s evident and of no amazement that people get confused and perplexed with so many different types of life insurance available, about what life insurance means and which one to choose that will work beneficially for them and their dearest ones.

    To common awareness, people think life insurance to be a source of financial support that helps them to pay off their bills and help a roof over their head.

    But suppose, unfortunately, in future if you get delayed with your salary or you are out of your job or meet with an accident, would you like your dependants to be in any financial difficulty? Certainly not!

    Having a life insurance policy is the solution to this. This also holds your financial affairs and runs smoothly even after the event of your death.

    This what exactly a whole life insurance policy assures you of ? to keep the insured person financially secured for the whole life with the total sum assured which is payable upon your death.

    Some whole life insurance companies have policies that offer you ?with profit? option where an insured person gets bonus in addition to the total sum assured.

    It has certain features like whole life cover, cash values, generation of dividends, and consistency in premium (unlike other life insurance policy such as term life insurance policy), etc, that make it really unique and distinguished from others.

    More over the use of dividends can minimize the premium that you pay. In case you decide to cancel the policy you are paid with the ?cash values? which grew as the premium was being paid.

    Whole life insurance policy allows you to create a source of cash reserves with the payment of regular premium with all taxes deferred. It can also be used as supplementing retirement income.

    We offer the best independent term life insurance source. Check it out only on the Life insurance policy guide. Find all about health and life insurance on www.leandernet.com/Lifeinsurance/Lifeinsurance.php

    About HighDeductible Health Plans

    Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Sunday 28 February 2010 12:59 am

    So-called ?high deductible health plans? are a lot like conventional (PPO/HMO) insurance plans, but they typically have higher deductibles (over $1,000 per year). The idea is that even though the deductible is high, you save so much money from the lower monthly premium costs that the HDHP is a better deal in the long run, when used in conjunction with a tax-free Health Savings Account (HSA).

    Last year, in order to setup an HSA, you needed to find a High-Deductible Health Plans that met the following qualifications:

    1.A minimum deductible of $1,000 for self or $2000 for family coverage.

    2. A maximum out-of-pocket limit of $5,100 for individual coverage, and $10,200 for family coverage.

    3. Preventive care can have first dollar coverage (i.e. without a deductible). Preventive care examples include: periodic health evaluations like annual physicals, screening services like mammograms, routine prenatal and well-child care, child and adult immunizations, tobacco cessation programs, and obesity weight loss programs.

    Prescription drugs taken to prevent the onset of a condition for which a person has developed risk factors for can be considered preventive care, like cholesterol-lowering medication. A general rule of thumb for what is or is not preventive care is the care does not include any service or benefit which treats an existing illness or condition.

    4. The plan can use co-pays to cover preventive care. Higher out-of-pocket (co-pays and co-insurance) is allowed for out-of-network care.

    5. The can?t cover prescription drugs before the deductible is met.

    HDHP?s often offer a better value for money as compared to a lower deductible plan. HDHP premiums are significantly lower, and any out-of-pocket cost risk to can be minimized by funding an HSA to cover out-of-pocket costs up to your deductible. Also, HDHP premiums have not been subject to the kinds of rate increases that traditional health plans have seen over the last few years.

    This is not true in all states and for all health plans.

    Some have said that consumer-driven health plans, like the HSA HDHP combo, works best for relatively healthy people. It is certainly true that if you?re healthy, and don?t use medical services during the year, you?ll save a lot of money with a high-deductible plan. But it?s also true that CDH plans, applied wisely, can result in savings and greater flexibility for consumers of all kinds. Individuals who are likely to make moderate or heavy use of medical services should be sure to understand the benefits covered under their plan, and should pay special attention to the co-insurance, maximum out-of-pocket, and any exclusions or carve-outs. Healthia?s health cost modeling tool can help you decide if a CDH plan will work for you.

    Kurt Stammberger is VP, Marketing at Healthia Inc. Healthia was founded in 2005 to provide integrated comparison-shopping information on health insurance products and services for groups, individuals, families and small business employees.

    UK Car Insurance Making A Claim

    Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Saturday 27 February 2010 8:59 pm

    If you are unlucky enough to have an accident in the UK, you will need to know some of the basics ins-and-outs of how to make a claim on your UK car insurance.

    Personal Injury

    The first thing you should do following a car accident is to check and see if anyone in your car or any of the other cars has been injured. If they have, you should immediately call for medical assistance (ambulance). Once you have done this, keep in mind that you may need to include a medical report as part of the accident claim.

    Call The Police

    Depending on the seriousness of the accident, you may know need to call the police.

    24-Hour Assistance

    By law you should have a copy of your car insurance certificate with you in your car at all times. Included in this will be a 24-hour hotline contact number that you can call if you happen to be involved in an accident. You need to ring this number and ask them what the procedures are you should take. Remember, in the UK you can have one of several different classes of car insurance (for example, third party or fully comprehensive), so the steps you will need to take will vary depending on this and the procedures put in place by your specific car insurance policy provider.

    While on the phone with your car insurance company, remember to ask them to send you an accident report form. The accident report form should be fairly self-explanatory, but if you have any problems completing this, then it is a good ideal that you call your insurer and clear up any misunderstandings before you submit this form.

    Collect Evidence of the Accident

    Having called your insurance provider and asked for assistance, it is a good idea to collect some evidence about the accident. This can include taking the names of any eye witnesses and/or taking photographs of the accident (mobile phone cameras are useful for this purposes).

    Repairs To Your Car

    It is very important that you understand that any costs you incur with respect to your car following an accident are for your own account (i.e. you pay) unless you have agreed these beforehand with your insurance company. As such, it is not a good idea following an accident to just take your car off to a garage and have the repairs done ? as you may well find your car insurance company will not agree to reimburse you. Far more sensible is to phone the car insurance company first and ask them if there is any specific garage in your area where you need to take the car for repairs.

    Keep Receipts For All Expenses

    Even if you think that it is unlikely you?ll be reimbursed for the cost, if you have an accident and are going to make a claim with your car insurance company then it is vital that you keep a receipt of all the expenses incurred. Keep in mind that if you do not have a record of the expense, it is highly unlikely that your car insurance company is going to reimburse you.

    Joe Kenny writes for the Personal Loans Store, allowing visitors to compare loans and also focuses on personal loans in the UK.
    Visit Today: http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk

    Universal Life Insurance

    Posted by How To Choose Insurance | How to choose insurance | Saturday 27 February 2010 4:59 pm

    Life is so uncertain and so many things can happen — even the things you least expect, such as a sudden death. You could be very strong one minute and suffer from and a heart attack and die the next minute. However, one thing is for sure, the loved ones you leave behind will be devastated and be even more in distraught if they do not have the means to pay for your funeral services. That is why it is important that you secure the future of your family by getting a universal life insurance.

    Universal life insurance is one type of life insurance. It is characterized by flexible premiums and adjustable benefits. As your insurance needs change, your policy can also be adjusted; however, this action requires approval. The benefits of securing a universal life insurance policy include flexibility, security, tax-deferred account value growth and tax-free death benefit.

    A universal life insurance plan is flexible because you can adjust your premium payments and death benefits according to your needs. Even with your changing insurance needs, you are secure that your loved ones will not go through a financial crisis in the event of your death. Aside from these two benefits, you can also get tax-free and tax-deferred benefits. Yet, the proceeds that your beneficiaries will get are income tax-free, and the account value of your policy earns interest and is federal income tax deferred.

    Getting a universal life insurance policy gives you lots of benefits. But, if you are still in doubt of these significant advantages, you should consult an insurance agent to better explain them to you. You might as well ask other important information regarding premiums, savings, reserves and payments to ensure that you get the right life insurance policy for you.

    Universal Life Insurance provides detailed information on Universal Life Insurance, Universal Life Insurance Quotes, Variable Universal Life Insurance, Universal Life Insurance Policy Definitions and more. Universal Life Insurance is affiliated with Free Life Insurance Leads.